Chapter 77 If you can’t make money, then leave it to Changsun Wuji

In the Tang Dynasty, officials above the fifth rank, especially high-ranking officials, attended court every morning.

Officials above the ninth rank and below the fifth rank followed the principle of attending court on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.

During his term, Li Shimin was considered to be quite diligent, and occasionally changed the time and summoned him temporarily.

Once every five days, once every three days, once every seven days, the time varied.

Li Shimin worked hard to govern the country and left his name in history.

But for officials in Chang'an who needed to attend court, it was hard.

Your Majesty, you will leave your name in history no matter what, but we are just reporting for duty.

It's just work, and you only make a few strings of money a month. What's the point of playing with your life? Getting up so early and sleeping so late, dealing with endless government affairs, and being scolded by Wei Zheng for slacking off, even if you are a birthday star, you won't live more than three years.

The last big court meeting was about six days ago. Two or three days later, it was the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month court meeting, with the most officials and the most complete staff. Li Shimin planned to announce Liu Xuan's title at that time.

After making this decision, Li Shimin wrote an imperial edict himself and brought it over to tell Liu Xuan quietly.

When he came to Liu Xuan, Li Shimin pretended to be profound: "Your Majesty means that your title is real, but in Chang'an, most of the people with titles have made great contributions in the past."

"Second brother, in order to protect you, the current emperor will not let anyone come to announce the decree, I will do it for you and bring it to you."

Liu Xuan looked at the imperial edict in Li Shimin's hand and teased: "Old Li, what's wrong with you? You are a royal relative and you insist on competing to be a eunuch."

"What do you think the eunuchs in the palace will think if you do this?"

"You wasted so much effort, and that thing is gone, and someone else took your job away. Wouldn't you be angry to death?"

"What if they get angry and urinate in the current emperor's soup, tut tut..."

Li Shimin's face became extremely ugly, his beard curled up, the corners of his mouth trembled, and he sucked in cold air.

Hiss...

Good for you Liu Xuan, I... endure it!

"Old Li, why did your face change? Are you scared?"

"It's okay, it's okay. I won't tell anyone about this... Hmm? Why is your face red?"

"Oh? Why is it yellow again?"

"Is your imperial edict fake?"

Li Shimin was angry and slammed the table, shaking with anger.

Liu Xuan was stunned: "Brother, what's wrong with you? You are sulking in the morning and slamming the table. Yaya is still sleeping. What if she wakes up?"

"I wanted to ask you if you want to eat pig head meat..."

Li Shimin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly: "Hurry up and bring it up! Second brother, I'm starving!"

"Do you know that this man from Lantian County has a fief of five hectares, which is equivalent to a fifth-rank official. No one in Chang'an dares to bully you."

Liu Xuan smiled. This wave was just right. Li Shimin came here to ask him for something.

"Old Li, what you said is true. You and I are brothers, but we have worshipped heaven and earth. If you care about this, you will be a little more hard-working."

This wave of moral kidnapping made Li Shimin's face turn green instantly, but after a long time, he sighed and smiled.

Because, the plate of pig head meat was served.

Li Shimin directly grabbed a piece and put it in his mouth. Although it was cold last night, the taste that rushed straight to his head made Li Shimin crazy in an instant.

Satisfied, very satisfied!

"The coal is available, but when the current emperor used it, he found that the stove was not easy to use. Tell me, how to use this thing best?"

Liu Xuan frowned: "Old Li, what you said is true. There are fire dragons under the palace of the current emperor, which is the kind of ground vein stove we are talking about."

This thing seems to be the heating of later generations, and it is also like the kang in the north.

However, in the imperial palace, under the palace, every few meters there is an overhead space, which is roughly similar to the brick and tile flue next to the chimney. After being sealed with mud, it becomes the best heating stove.

Just focus on burning coal in the place where the fire is burning.

Li Shimin smiled, his mouth bulged, as if he had not eaten.

"What is this thing called?"

"Pig head meat, you know, what you eat is what you replenish, just in time for you, Lao Li, your brain is not enough, eat more, replenish your brain."

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows. If this thing is not delicious, I must fight with you today!

"What if it is an ordinary citizen?"

When Li Shimin asked this question, Liu Xuan raised his eyebrows.

"Old Li, are you in trouble?"

"Ordinary people, of course, use a stove."

"Just an ordinary iron stove will do. Look at the stove behind you. It's a layer of iron sheet, with yellow mud inside. Leave a ash mouth at the bottom and a flue at the top. Make two smoke pipes to connect to the outside. Isn't that enough?"

Li Shimin looked back and finally understood why he always smelled a pungent smell in Ganlu Hall. It turned out that he didn't build a chimney.

"You can find a blacksmith to make this thing. Old Li, you don't plan to do this business yourself, do you? I heard that the iron business is in the hands of the government in the Tang Dynasty. You can't touch it."

Li Shimin pretended to smile: "Hey, how can that be possible? How can we do that kind of business?"

"This business should be done by the confidant of the current emperor. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be Changsun Wuji."

When Liu Xuan heard the four words Changsun Wuji, an idea suddenly came to his mind.

"Oh? This name sounds very domineering."

"But there is a bad thing. The price of such a stove cannot be high, so it is not profitable. Think about it, if the coal that Your Majesty wants to sell is expensive, how can ordinary people afford it?"

"So, a stove must be sold at a loss for thirty cents, and the coal will make it back!"

When Li Shimin heard Liu Xuan's words, he frowned and immediately felt that things were not simple.

"This is the first time I have heard of it."

Liu Xuan was not in a hurry and poured tea: "Old Li, do you know why some things in the grocery store in the West Market are cheap and some are expensive?"

"Of course, cheap things are not valuable."

"Not at all, not at all, those cheap things usually need to be sold with a slightly more expensive thing. When used together, one even loses three cents, but the other one makes ten cents, isn't it back!"

Li Shimin almost jumped up.

"Hey, you are absolutely right!"

After that, Li Shimin was about to run with the plate in his hand, stuffing his mouth with pork head meat, and suddenly turned back: "I heard that a poet appeared in Chang'an last night, and she was a four-year-old girl. Could it be Yaya?"

Li Shimin asked tentatively: "Yaya is so young, she can't even understand the Analects, how can she write poetry, second brother, you are not honest at all."

Liu Xuan narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly: "Old Li, don't talk nonsense, it's not true, I will sue you for defamation, I will sue you for defamation!"

Li Shimin now roughly understands Liu Xuan's temperament, but he can't figure out why Yaya came to write such a poem at the end.

At this time, Liu Xuan looked at Li Shimin's back and smiled. If Yaya didn't show up, would Zheng Liwan come to me specifically?