The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 188 Hedong Friends
Hearing Xiaofu ask this, Li Chengqian noticed that she looked terrified, as if she thought that finally... His Highness had become a prince who would dig out people's eyes.

Ning'er on the side looked normal. She patiently put some small objects into a wooden box.

Li Chengqian explained: "Xiaofu."

Xiaofu sat aside, blinked, and his eyes fell on the prince's face.

"The clairvoyance that Xiao Sizi is talking about is not someone else's eyeball, but a tool, not an eyeball."

Xiaofu nodded heavily, simply believing His Highness' explanation.

"Also... the Calabash Brothers are just a story I made up. They don't exist, and..."

Xiaofu looked up at the prince with an attentive look and blinked again.

Li Chengqian sighed in frustration. The girl was still young, so he waved his hand and said, "I won't gouge out other people's eyes. Go and have a rest."

"Here."

Xiaofu picked up the basin of water beside him and took away the dishes and chopsticks in the bedroom.

Ning'er also left with them and helped close the door of the bedroom.

Li Chengqian looked at the account books of various counties recently. In the past, most craftsmen were concentrated in Chang'an, but now each county needed manpower. Under the auspices of Jingzhao Prefecture, skilled and knowledgeable people in Chang'an City were being attracted to various counties.

Among them were experienced craftsmen and teachers.

This rural activity is currently underway in Guanzhong, and the results seem to be quite good.

The next morning, during the Frost Descent season, a thick fog hit Guanzhong.

Xu Jingzong hurried to Jingzhao Prefecture. His official uniform was wet with fog. Looking from the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture, he could only vaguely see a figure ten steps away.

The sun has not yet fully come out, and Jingzhao Prefecture still seems very deserted.

Having worked with Yan Qinli for half a year, Xu Jingzong was generally satisfied with the performance of this clerk. He was good at submitting documents, reviewing documents, and compiling county annals.

He walked into the government office and bowed slightly to Yan Qinli, who was eating a bowl of porridge, intending to wait until he finished his morning meal before talking.

Yan Qinli's meals were simple, a bowl of porridge and a plate of pickled radish. The radish was very refreshing and made a crunchy sound when bitten in the mouth.

"Xu Shaoyin, just speak frankly."

Seeing that he was still holding the bowl, Xu Jingzong picked up a piece of cake, tore half of it and handed it to him, saying, "Eat more, your porridge is too watery."

Yan Qinli took the cake, chewed it and said, "Thank you, Shaoyin."

Taking the kettle from the stove nearby, Xu Jingzong looked towards the backyard. Only Mr. Wen was picking up some branches. He asked in a low voice, "Is Judge Di not here yet?"

Yan Qinli was still chewing a biscuit as he picked up the document beside him and said, "He has been handling a case in Tailantian County these days. He left with his son before dawn."

Xu Jingzong sighed: "He is also very busy."

Yan Qinli nodded and said, "Is there anything I need to report to the Crown Prince?"

Xu Jingzong brewed himself a bowl of tea, adding a lot of tea leaves. After drinking the strong tea, he felt much more energetic. He said, "This year, many merchants from Jiangnan Road, Jiannan Road, and even Lianghuai have come to Chang'an. They want to build or buy workshops in Guanzhong."

"Yes." Yan Qinli responded pertinently, saying, "It is normal for so many new workshops to be established in Guanzhong to attract foreign merchants. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that we will encounter many problems in the future. These problems are inevitable in the construction of Guanzhong."

"Oh, right." Yan Qinli, who had just finished his meal, handed over a card. The invitation was very delicate, with some gold edges. He explained, "This person's name is Pei Mingli, and he is a businessman. He wants to open a workshop in Guanzhong and wants to meet Xu Shaoyin."

Xu Jingzong first looked at the gold border on the invitation and asked in confusion, "Is this person rich?"

Yan Qinli shook his head and said, "From the looks of this invitation, it seems that the other party is indeed very rich, but I have asked someone to find out, and he doesn't even have a place to stay in Chang'an City. This person is from the same hometown as Pei Xingjian, and he is currently staying in Weinan County."

"Merchants from Hedong?"

“Haha…” Yan Qinli laughed, “It’s funny to talk about this. When I met him yesterday, he claimed that he was nominated by the merchants from Hedong. Now there are also merchants from Hedong who came to Chang’an.”

He paused, and continued, "So I asked the merchants in Hedong for information. They said that Pei Mingli was not recommended by the merchants in Hedong. He just earned some money in Hedong. He can only be said to be a wealthy man. Even the invitation he handed over to see Xu Shaoyin almost used up all his wealth."

Xu Jingzong was still looking at the invitation.

In the quiet Jingzhao Prefecture, there were no other officials coming and going. It was still relatively early, and the thick fog outside had dissipated a little, so the situation on Suzaku Street could be seen.

Yan Qinli said: "This is a very smart person. The gold edges on this invitation are all real gold. It depends on whether Xu Shaoyin accepts it. Accepting the invitation does not count as accepting the gold of a person."

Xu Jingzong placed the invitation on the table and said, "Although I am the Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, I am also in charge of the dispatch of Guanzhong. Although I approve what kind of workshops each county wants to open, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will have to inquire about these matters."

Yan Qinli added: "Pei Mingli is a young man who wants to make progress. He spent a lot of money to meet Xu Shaoyin, and even made up a name for himself. If I hadn't sent someone to inquire, I would have believed him."

"No." Xu Jingzong stood up after saying this, left the invitation on the table, and quickly left Jingzhao Prefecture.

Yan Qinli smiled in surprise.

In Weinan County, Pei Mingli, who is just over 20 years old, has not yet married. He has two younger brothers and a younger sister, all of whom are still young.

He gave the two cakes to his younger brother and sister, and had nothing to eat himself. He drank a few gulps of cold water, and still had five gold beans and ten silver cakes left on his body, which was all his fortune.

Seeing Pei Xingjian approaching, Pei Mingli, who was from the same hometown and much older than him, bowed and said, "Keep your promise. I'm afraid I'll have to bother you again these days."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Brother Mingli and Brother Xue took care of me when I was a child."

Speaking of childhood, Pei Xingjian asked again: "I thought Brother Xue had also come to Chang'an."

Although Pei Mingli was wearing a coarse cloth, his manners were still very scholarly. He put one hand behind his back and the other hand on his stomach, and said, "Rengui... He is still working as a laborer in Mr. Liu's house. He said he was studying hard. Alas! He knew clearly that Mr. Liu would not marry his daughter to him."

Thinking of his childhood, Pei Xingjian laughed and said, "Brother Xue is still as stubborn as ever."

Pei Mingli said, "When I gain a foothold in Chang'an and make tens of thousands of dollars, I will help Brother Xue to ask Mr. Liu for marriage."

Since he was a child, Brother Mingli has been a man with great ambitions. In order to support his younger brothers and sisters, he has suffered a lot of grievances and bullying.

Now I have managed to raise my younger siblings until they are ten years old.

In fact, Brother Mingli was a very smart man and a very eloquent person, otherwise he would not have become a rich family in Hedong when his family was penniless. Pei Xingjian asked: "Why did Brother Mingli think of coming to Chang'an?"

Pei Mingli looked at the workshop in the distance, his eyes burning as he said, "I didn't know that Chang'an had undergone so many changes before. A dismissed county magistrate came to Hedong to complain about his grievances. I asked a few more questions and learned that the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace is now in charge of agricultural affairs in Guanzhong, and Jingyang and Weibei have earned more than a million yuan."

"There was no place for me to stand in the Hedong area, so I sold my house and came to Chang'an." As he spoke, he patted his chest heavily and said with a relaxed look: "Keep your promise. Don't worry, I will definitely make a fortune in Chang'an."

The most famous businessman who has made his fortune in Chang'an now is Master Du He.

It’s just that Master Du He’s family is of such high status, how could Pei Mingli ever see him?

Pei Xingjian knew Pei Mingli. Pei Mingli was a pure businessman. The land in his family was not enough for him to support his family. In order to support his younger brothers and sisters, he could only do business in the streets. He was good at planning, but he had been in the market for many years.

Pei Mingli smiled attentively and sophisticatedly. This smile had long been engraved on his face and he smiled like that to everyone he met.

He took out a heavy bag from his waist and handed it to him, saying, "Brother Mingli, don't always drink cold water. These are the dates given to me by the villagers. There are still a large basket of them in the county that we can't finish eating. You can take them."

Pei Mingli took the bag somewhat awkwardly and saw that it was full of winter dates.

Pei Xingjian added: "If Brother Mingli still can't see Xu Shaoyin when he goes to Jingzhao Prefecture, then you can go to the East Market of Chang'an. Master Du He has arranged a house there. It is said that you can pay people to do business. You can pay ten coins first, and then if you earn a hundred coins, you can be assigned some work. If you earn one string of coins, you can join the caravan."

"Thank you for your guidance."

"My younger brother and sister will stay in Weinan. I will take care of them. Don't worry, big brother."

Pei Mingli bowed, holding a cloth bag in his hand, which was heavy with winter dates. He looked at his younger brother and sister, who were following Pei Xingjian.

Life in Weinan County was pretty good. In an open space in the county, there was a teacher who taught reading and writing. On weekdays, men, women, old and young would come to learn how to write.

There were women listening while picking beans, and children sitting in a row.

Because Pei Xingjian was the county magistrate here, no one would bully his younger brothers and sisters. Pei Mingli watched his younger brothers and sisters who were listening to the class from afar. After the thick fog in front of him dissipated, he quickly walked towards Chang'an City.

Wearing the only pair of intact cloth shoes in the house, Pei Mingli walked very slowly, trying his best not to get them dirty.

The remaining property he had was the last bit of money he needed to raise his younger brothers and sisters. He didn't dare touch a single bit of it and would not spend any unnecessary money along the way.

If I could work under Xu Shaoyin, maybe I could be appreciated by the current crown prince.

The experienced and mercenary Pei Mingli walked into the bustling city of Chang'an. With his eloquence that could please anyone, he found out about a room that Master Du He had arranged for him in the East Market. The room was very small, and there were many people standing outside.

Most of them are Master Du He's subordinates.

Pei Mingli knew that he had nothing, and certainly not the background of Master Du He, so he stood in the line, waiting for his turn.

As the team moved forward little by little, people kept coming out of that room. Pei Mingli walked into this room, which was very dark.

An old servant with sharp eyes was sitting at the table. He asked, "A stranger, are you here to collect your money?"

Pei Mingli nodded subconsciously.

The old servant took out ten copper coins from a basket beside him and placed them on the table. Then he took up his pen and prepared to write, and asked, "Name, place of origin."

I noticed how relaxed the other person was when he took out the money, as if the money was very unimportant.

Pei Minli suddenly stood up, without taking the copper coins on the table, and left quickly.

The old servant who was preparing to take notes frowned, holding a pen in his hand, and watched the figure hurriedly leaving for a long time without saying a word.

When doing business in Hedong in the past, Pei Mingli was fed up with using other people's reputation to do business. Even if he made a lot of money, it would be ruthlessly taken away by the host.

Now he wants to use his own reputation to do business. With his current experience, all he lacks is reputation. Why should he rely on Master Du He?

For several days in a row, he traveled back and forth between Chang'an City and Weinan County. More than ten days passed, but he still found nothing.

Although he temporarily lived in the backyard of the county government office where Shouyue lived, he had not married and never said anything.

As the eldest brother in childhood, Pei Mingli feels a little uncomfortable now.

Pei Xingjian's family background had been better than his own since he was a child, and it seemed that everyone had expected that he would be able to pass the imperial examination and become an official.

Seeing Pei Xingjian still teaching his younger siblings to read, Pei Mingli had a smile on his face and couldn't help thinking about finding a teacher for his younger siblings in the future.

It was November in Guanzhong when Pei Mingli finally found an opportunity. He had heard that the Crown Prince would often go out for walks and occasionally go fishing.

Pei Mingli originally wanted to go to Chang'an to try his luck, and then he saw a young man who looked about the same age as himself sitting by the river fishing. There were many soldiers holding swords and some even riding war horses around him.

He hadn't seen Xu Shaoyin for many days, so it would be a great opportunity for him to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian was sitting by the Ba Bridge fishing. When he saw a young man in coarse cloth coming onto the bridge, he also put down his fishing rod.

Xue Wanbei asked, "Your Highness, do you want to drive him away?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Don't bother."

They just whispered a few words, and the other party stood on the bridge and said loudly: "I've heard that His Royal Highness likes fishing. How about I come down to accompany His Royal Highness?"

He said loudly.

Without responding to him, Li Chengqian continued to stare at his fishing line.

Xue Wanbei stood aside with a stern face.

The buoy sank, and Li Chengqian lifted the fishing rod and caught a fish, then he threw the fishing rod back into the river.

Pei Mingli on the Ba Bridge lifted his fishing rod, but saw no fish taking the bait. Then he looked again and saw that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had caught another fish.

Half an hour later, Pei Mingli still caught nothing, but the prince had already caught several fish.

At noon, Li Chengqian put away his fishing rod and prepared to leave. He glanced at the anxious young man on the bridge, got on the carriage and left.

(End of this chapter)