A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 23

Huaiyu wore the brocade-sleeved satin gown of Li Deju, the second son of Li Jing's, with a brass belt around his waist and a golden knife hanging from it.

Run Niang led her elder brother Chen Xing over, and when Chen Xing saw Huaiyu, he mistook it for the Erlang Prize, so he hurried forward to salute.

"Brother, this is Runniang's Alang." Runniang hurriedly reminded her elder brother.

Chen Xing is tall and thin, with a square face in a silver basin. He is as white as his younger sister. He is estimated to be in his twenties, and his robes are neat and clean.He took a closer look, only to find that it was not Li Erlang, but he couldn't help admiring, "Wu Erlang's face is like a crown jade, his temples are like a knife cut, his eyebrows are like ink, his eyes are like lacquer, and his body is dignified and dignified. !"

Huaiyu also didn't expect that Ah Xing looked tall and thin and honest, but his mouth was full of flattery. No wonder he was already one of the procurement managers of the Li family at a young age. This one was really eloquent. Poor, it is estimated that they will flatter their superiors, whoever uses them will feel comfortable.

This old six.

"Brother is very eloquent." Huaiyu replied with a smile.

Runniang was used to her brother, so she put the food box on the table, "You're hungry, this is what Madam asked the kitchen to arrange. Knowing that you like to eat mutton, I specially asked the kitchen to make Gulouzi."

Huaiyu had never heard of Gulouzi, and many of the names here in the Tang Dynasty were different from the original ones, such as noodles called soup cakes, noodle soup called Gebutuo, cold noodles called Lengtao, naan called Hubing, and steamed buns called steamed cakes , I haven't eaten this ancient building yet.

Open the food box, and there are flatbreads inside.

Looking at the mediocrity, Chen Xing said enviously, "This is a good thing. An ancient building needs a catty of mutton. It is chopped into meat fillings and layered in the big Hubing, and then added to the interlayer. Pepper, tempeh, topped with crispy cheese, baked in the oven,
It is best to eat the mutton when it is roasted half-cooked. At this time, the meat is tender and juicy. Lao Wang, the back chef of our house, specializes in making pancakes. I heard that the Gulouzi he baked, the guests who came to the house to eat it are full of aftertaste. , Some of them often ask servants to ask for them. Erlang has a good taste. We have only heard of these things, but we have never eaten them. "

Zhang Chuchen asked the back kitchen to send six ancient buildings directly to Huaiyu.

After listening to Chen Xing's introduction, he took a closer look, and found that this thing was a bit like a large Jinyun pancake, and it also looked like a pizza. Anyway, the ingredients were very rich, and the mutton alone was a cake and a catty. Tang Dynasty nobles were the most He likes to eat mutton, and Chang'an's mutton is in great demand and expensive, and it is not cheap.

Especially now that the world is not safe and the prices are soaring.

He originally thought that although his Supreme Treasure Pill was good medicine for healing wounds, sores and nourishing blood, noble generals like Li Jing were not ordinary people, and the medical resources should be good, but now it seems that he underestimated the value of his Sanwei Pill.

Especially Wu Huaiyi was so badly injured by Xue Wanche in Zhongnan Mountain, even Li Shimin saw it with his own eyes, Cheng Chumo, Cheng Yaojin, even Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, Li Keshi and many other nobles also saw it and knew about it, but Wu Huaiyi used Huaiyi's medicine Afterwards, I basically never lay down. I ran around on a hot day and recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. I have to say that it really shocked many insiders.

He felt that there must be many famous doctors in Datang, and there must be a lot of good medicines, but he didn't know that Huaiyi's injury and the speed of his recovery surprised everyone, and the evaluation of his medicines continued to be high. I don't know how fast Huaiyu recovered. In fact, not only did he use medicine, but also Huaiyu's acupuncture and nursing skills.

Zhang Chuchen felt that these pills were very precious. Even if he gave three hundred bolts of silk as a thank-you gift and earned a beautiful maid, he felt that this was a great favor, especially now that the man of the Li family was either on the battlefield or was about to go to the battlefield. There are even those who are trapped in the battlefield and are seriously injured.

What's more, Huaiyu has this ability, and the Li family also hopes that in the future, if there is an emergency or something, Huaiyu can be invited to help.

"eat together!"

Huaiyu first took two ancient buildings for Chen Xing, they were still hot when they came out of the oven, the aroma of crispy cheese, mutton, and cakes made Huaiyu's stomach groan.

Chen Xing declined a few times, and then began to gnaw unceremoniously.

He took another one for Run Niang, "Eat more too."

Pick up one by yourself. It weighs at least two catties. It’s really a giant pie. Take a bite. .

"There are actually quite a few whole grains of pepper in it. This ancient building still has spices added." Chen Xing's eyes were shining. Although he is one of the main purchasers in the mansion, his status is not high. It can be regarded as the middle class among the servants, and they usually don't have the opportunity to eat this kind of food that only the master and distinguished guests can enjoy.

Huaiyu didn't think it was worth the fuss to put a little pepper, but he thought it was a bit too much pepper, and it would be better if some crushed pepper was added, it would rob the taste.

"Erlang, do you know how expensive pepper is in Chang'an now? One tael of pepper is one tael of gold. This pepper was transported thousands of miles from the Western Regions by Hu merchants in the Western Market. It is said that it was transported from the country of Magadha. , and have to cross the snow-capped mountains and deserts, thousands of miles away, every grain is like gold."

Chen Xing is in the business of purchasing and is very sensitive to prices in Chang'an. "A tael of pepper is about two hundred grains, but it is worth a tael of gold. Now a tael of gold can be worth 1 Kaiyuan Tongbao. If it is other money, it has to be exchanged for [-] tael." Wando. How much do you think this pepper is worth?"

Now Huaiyu was surprised.

"Pepper is so expensive? Isn't one grain worth more than 30 pennies?"

"That's right, ten grains of pepper are worth a piece of silk. Even if the price of rice is expensive now, you can exchange it for a bucket of rice. If you let go of the emperor's reign or the beginning of the great cause, it will be even more easy to exchange rice for a stone! And now pepper is still priceless, especially Since the Turkic invasion of Longyou this year, the Silk Road leading to the Western Regions has also been greatly affected. Many Hu merchants and goods can’t get through, and the price of pepper has skyrocketed. The price, now a tael of pepper is worth tens of thousands of dollars."

While talking, Chen Xing found out the black peppercorns one by one from the ancient building, and then carefully wrapped it with a towel.

Huaiyu was a little speechless by this money fan-like action, but thinking back, one pepper was worth more than thirty copper coins, and ten peppers were worth a piece of silk.

Chen Xing found six grains of black pepper from his ancient building, and they were still intact.

"It's already been used, bro, what are you doing with it?" Is it possible to keep it as a souvenir?I have only heard of eating big herring and keeping the herring stone ground into a pendant, or eating ya fish and taking out a bone sword from the skull, but I have never heard of eating pepper and keeping it as a souvenir.

Chen Xing chuckled, "A Hu merchant's shop was stolen in West Market before. The thief dug a hole in the ground and stole it. He stole more than a dozen liters of pepper, which was more profitable than robbing a gold shop." He didn't care about it either. After eating Gulouzi, I took out another Gulouzi and began to search for peppercorns, "Although this pepper has been used, I put it away, wash it and dry it, and then sell it in the ghost market. You can still sell it for ten pennies and eight pennies, put away the peppercorns of six Gulouzi, and exchange your hands for a piece of silk!"

"Is there still a ghost market in Chang'an?"

"Yes, the underground black market is next to Xuandu Temple in Chongye Square in the south of the city. A part of it suddenly collapsed during the Daye period, revealing the entrance of an underground cave. Some hungry people stole and looted and traded dirty things in the cave. Later, some craftsmen also sold or processed their crafts inside. Of course, there were also refugees who were forced to work as prostitutes... ·”

According to what Chen Xing said, the ghost market is in a natural underground cave, the cave is very large, and the terrain is complex, coupled with the special turbulent environment in the last years of Daye, so many homeless refugees gathered here, and later It became a gathering place for thieves, robbers, prostitutes and even many impoverished handicraftsmen, and gradually formed an underground black market outside the eastern and western cities.

Many ordinary businessmen in Chang'an also began to go there for trading, shopping and processing.

Although the imperial court has continued to clean up ghost markets in recent years, there are not many refugees, but there are still some beggars or thieves hiding in the middle. Whenever there are some stormy days, when Marquis Wu of Chang’an’s street shop is lax in management, the underground ghost market It will be more lively here, and many people go to trade.

Especially for some things that are hard to see in the market, this is the best channel. At the same time, the common people in Nancheng are far away from the east and west cities, and they often trade some agricultural products or living materials such as firewood in this underground ghost market.

When the used pepper is brought to the ghost market, given the current scarcity, people will still buy it. As for whether someone buys it as a second-hand pepper, or wants to try something new, Chen Xing doesn't care. The peppercorns can be exchanged for a bolt of silk, worth 360 Kaiyuan Tongbao, or hundreds of Suiwu baht.

In the six pies, the pepper alone is worth a piece of silk, and it also used six catties of mutton, six big mustard pies, and crispy cheese, fermented soybeans, etc. I didn't expect this humble pie to be so delicious. Expensive, Huaiyu felt that this not only showed the unrest in today's society and people's livelihood, but also showed that the conditions of Li Jing's family were really good.

"Madam Zhang is too polite to me." He sighed.

Chen Xing said with a smile, "Our Alang is the county magistrate of the court, and he is the governor of the second rank, and a famous family with halberds in the door. Do you know how much food is rationed by the court every month? The prince of this dynasty is below the second rank and above. There are [-] mouthfuls of sheep and [-] catties of pork for regular food."

Datang rationed [-] sheep and [-] catties of pork to Li Jing's house every month. This was a high-ranking official's welfare, free of charge. Li Jing's own family was rich and had many manors, and they would regularly send pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks to the house. Li also regularly buys in the Dongxi market. For ordinary people, it would be great to be able to cut some mutton for Chinese New Year, and even eat some pork that the nobles despise. No matter how expensive the turbulent prices are, food is never considered.

During the Kaihuang period, a liter of pepper was only one tael of gold, but now a tael of pepper costs one tael of gold. One grain cannot be less, and no pepper is needed.

In contrast, the old Wu family, who is the family of the lower-level Wu family of the Forbidden Army, whose son returned after being separated for nine years, killed a sheep and feasted the whole village to drink sheep soup, which is already an unprecedented heroism.

In the end, Huaiyu only ate one Gulouzi, and Chen Xing picked up the six peppercorns inside and put it away. The mutton pie, which was delicious at first, suddenly lost its taste.

The three of them ate only one, and there were three remaining. Chen Xing happily wrapped it in dried lotus leaves. Also open meat to try something new.

After eating, Huaiyu went to thank Mrs. Zhang.

"Thank you Madam for your kind hospitality. It's really costly. The medicine has been prepared, and it's time for this junior to leave."

"I heard that Wu Erlang is going to visit the elders at Duke Ying's mansion, and also to visit his friend Cheng Dalang at Duke Su's mansion? I have prepared some gifts for you to visit at home. You can bring them directly and save yourself when you go to the Dongxi market. After the market opens, I will let Brother Siqi, Chen Xing, go with you." Zhang Chuchen's thoughtful arrangements made Huaiyu really surprised and flattered.

He refused again and again, but Zhang Chuchen said, "Siqi is in my house, and Sanniang and Sanniang are like brothers and sisters. I plan to officially accept her as a righteous granddaughter today. From now on, you will also be regarded as the righteous grandson-in-law of my Yongkang government. , there is no need to be so polite."

Wu Huaiyu didn't know whether Zhang Chuchen's behavior was all because of the precious pills he prepared for the Li family, or whether it was also intended to befriend the Wu family of Duke Ying's mansion, or to win him over as a young man. meaning.

He also heard from Runniang last night that before Li Jingbei went to the Anti-Japanese War, it was Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor Shi, and after he left, it was Ying Guogong warrior Xun who replaced him.

"You go to pay a visit to relatives. Siqi will stay at the mansion for now. When you finish your work, I will arrange a carriage to take her back to Sanyuan with you. I will take the dowry with you."

Faced with Zhang's enthusiasm, Huaiyu had no choice but to accept it gratefully. The corporal deliberately wooed him with such a frivolous manner. If he refused, he would really be too ungrateful and disgusted.

When he walked out of the rich mansion of the Li family, Huaiyu was very grateful to the Li family, no matter it was because of the medicine or not because of the Wu family, they treated him well, no matter what, he had to remember this feeling.

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(End of this chapter)