People in the Tang Dynasty, Jian'an style

……

Zheng Guanyin was ultimately unable to answer these two questions, but when Li Wenbin left, she wanted to get up and see him off, but even after resting for more than half an hour, her strong thighs were trembling so much that she couldn't get up at all.

When Li Wenbin walked out of Zheng Garden, he also put on a set of the prince's clothes - although his original clothes were dry, they were wrinkled and could not be worn without ironing.

The servants of the Zheng family looked at him with respect as he walked away.

Look at him, he slept with the prince's woman, and even wore the prince consort's clothes, and left in such a grand manner, he is truly better than his father, even more majestic and domineering than his father!"

After Li Wenbin walked for a while, he finally realized that he had lost this trip!

Although I had made up my mind when I came here, I must not fall behind again.

But when faced with a stunning little woman who can't be hit or scolded, who has no effect when pleading with soft words, who turns a deaf ear to all reason, who can act coquettishly, shed tears, be flirtatious, act cute, and is extremely affectionate, what else can Li Wenbin do?

However, fortunately, his defeat was not too complete. At least he regained some face in another battlefield. He defeated Zheng Guanyin miserably, so it can be said that the trip was worthwhile.

After returning to the mansion, Jinxiu came to report that the princess wanted to see him for something, and asked him to go there as soon as he returned.

Li Wenbin knew that since she said that, it meant that Changsun Wugou had something important to discuss with him, so he didn't delay, washed up quickly, and hurried to see Changsun Wugou.

Chapter 66: The Iron Man and the Iron Forger

"Wenbin has met the Empress."

"Well, get up..."

With the presence of the maid, Li Wenbin knew that Changsun Wugou had not asked him to come here for anything between men and women, so he bowed in a serious manner.

"I wonder why the Queen summoned Wenbin here?"

"In three days, it will be the eightieth birthday of the mother of the Internal Secretary, Duke of Song, Xiao Yu. I don't know what birthday gift to give her. I have been troubled by this for a long time."

Changsun Wugou smiled and said slowly, "I called you here today because I know you have a lot of ideas, so I wanted to ask you if you have any good ideas?"

Xiao Yu was an important official who was highly valued by Li Yuan. If they could become friends with him, it would be of great benefit to both Li Shimin and Li Wenbin.

Li Wenbin thought about it and didn't know how to start for a moment.

"My lady, do you know what the Duke of Song's mother likes?"

"I haven't heard of this. Duke Song has always been upright and aboveboard, and he and the prince strictly abide by their duties as subjects... Oh, yes, I just heard that Duke Song had a son in his old age, and his mother loved him very much, and loved him like a treasure."

When she said this, Zhangsun Wugou looked at her with a charming and innocent expression, just like a stubborn girl begging for help from her lover, which made Li Wenbin feel relieved.

"There is a way."

After thinking for a while, Li Wenbin clapped his hands lightly and said, "In this case, we can start with the youngest son of Duke Song to win the favor of his mother."

"If it were just that simple, it would be great." Zhangsun Wugou held his forehead with his hand, obviously having been worried about this matter for a long time, "But Duke Song doesn't accept gifts at all. If the prince easily gives him a heavy gift, it would be bad."

"No problem, Madam. Wenbin has already figured it out. Just do as I say. I guarantee that the gift will please the youngest son of Duke Song and win the favor of his mother."

"Really?" Zhangsun Wugou jumped up excitedly, his chest surging, "What is the method? Tell me quickly."

Li Wenbin smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I haven't thought of the details yet. Please allow me to keep you in suspense for now. Wenbin will start preparing for this matter tomorrow."

"Okay, no problem." Changsun Wugou nodded heavily, "How much money do you need? Is 50,000 strings of cash enough? If not, you can add more."

"That's enough. I don't need that much." Li Wenbin thought for a moment, stretched out his hand, and spread his five fingers. "I only need... five hundred strings of cash. That's enough."

Changsun Wugou looked at him in surprise and doubt, obviously unable to figure out what method he would use.

After a long while, she finally said, "I will grant you 10,000 strings of cash. If there is any surplus, it will all be yours. I can still do this."

Well, this is an opportunity to give me some pocket money. It’s really nice to have such a princess.

"Yes, thank you for your generosity, Madam."

Zhangsun Wugou looked at Li Wenbin meaningfully, and said with a smile: "If you do a good job on this matter, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

Li Wenbin remained silent.

Well, this ten thousand strings of cash is not for nothing, it looks like I have to work overtime again tonight...

Isn’t this woman a little too cruel?

Thinking of this, Li Wenbin couldn't help but rub his waist.

It seems that I have to ask Ruyue to help me make some tonic medicine for my body.

Otherwise, even a strong man would not be able to endure the day and night toil.

You can’t blame Li Wenbin for being scared, because these women are all blacksmiths.

……

The next day, Li Wenbin took Ruyueman around Chang'an City.

He specifically inquired about the skilled craftsmen in the city, and when he found any, he would visit them.

These craftsmen did not have much work to do, and even if they did, Li Wenbin promised them huge profits, so they were all happy to do it. After receiving the deposit one by one, they packed up their tools and rushed to the Prince Qin's Mansion.

Li Wenbin specifically asked Changsun Wugou for a remote courtyard for the craftsmen to work in, and stated that no one could enter without his permission.

Then, he drew the sketch himself and explained it to the craftsmen in person. What he wanted was not complicated, he just thought of something that others could not think of.

So the craftsmen understood it as soon as they heard it, and they had an idea of ​​the specific production and dimensions after looking at the sketch.

The production of the things went very smoothly. Changsun Wugou went to watch the craftsmen several times. When she saw the things that had already taken shape, even she felt novel. She really didn't know how Li Wenbin figured it out.

If those things hadn't been painted and waiting to dry, the princess would have been so playful that she would have gone up to try out this new thing.

A few days passed quickly, and this day was Mrs. Xiao's birthday.

That morning, Zhangsun Wugou mentioned to Li Shimin that she wanted to take Li Wenbin to the Xiao Mansion.

Li Shimin frowned, "Why call him? He is just a bastard. Isn't it enough for him to practice martial arts and study hard at home? If he is taken out and laughed at, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the Qin Palace?"

In his opinion, taking a bastard out was a very shameful thing.

"Your Highness, that's not what I meant." Zhangsun Wugou said softly, "I've been having a headache for a few days about how to prepare a gift for Duke Song's old mother, but I have no idea. On the contrary, Wenbin is very filial. After learning about my difficulties, he took the initiative to offer to help."

"Oh? He is very filial?" Li Shimin said with a disdainful expression on his face, "Don't pretend, Guanyin, don't be fooled by that bastard."

"Your Highness, don't you trust my judgment?" Zhangsun Wugou endured for a while before she lost her temper. "I can say that the gift Wenbin prepared will definitely satisfy Madam Xiao, and she will be very satisfied, and Your Highness will win big."

After hearing what she said, Li Shimin considered it again and again before reluctantly agreeing. However, he still gave Zhangsun Wugou many warnings and instructions, asking her to keep an eye on Li Wenbin and not to embarrass the prestige of the Qin Palace because of her narrow knowledge.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will definitely keep an eye on him."

Changsun Wugou agreed, and Li Shimin turned around and left with satisfaction.

Hey--

Changsun Wugou sighed - she had always been very convinced of Li Shimin.

But now seeing that he is so poor at judging people, I can't help but feel angry.

If it were something else, it would be fine, but she had seen with her own eyes the gifts prepared by Li Wenbin, and they were definitely ingenious and unique.

Changsun Wugou finally understood one thing - it seemed that Li Shimin was definitely not as perfect as she had imagined.

Changsun Wugou asked someone to find a few large carts, loaded all the things made by Li Wenbin onto the carts, covered them with tarpaulins, and drove straight to the Duke of Song's Mansion.

Chapter 67 Gift Giving

The Duke of Song's mansion is decorated with lights and colorful decorations today, and is filled with guests.

Naturally, there was no ordinary person among those who came and went from the Xiao Mansion. Officials and merchants of lower status could only hand over their gifts at the gate, smile and watch the Xiao Mansion's housekeeper write their names in the gift book, and then leave with satisfaction.

Prince of Qin Li Shimin was naturally not among them. When he and Zhangsun Wugou arrived at the Duke of Song's Mansion by carriage, Xiao Yu, who had received the news, was already waiting at the door.

"Your Highness, I am Xiao Yu, and I pay my respects to His Majesty the King of Qin."

"Please stand up quickly, Duke Song. Today, Shimin is here to celebrate the old lady's birthday, but he is not worthy of such a great gift." With so many outsiders present, Li Shimin was still willing to show his friendliness. He quickly got out of the car and helped Xiao Yu up.

"Haha, Your Highness Prince Qin is so polite. Your presence really makes my humble abode shine."

Xiao Yu's old face was so smiling that it looked like a flower, and the wrinkles on his forehead were smoothed out with laughter: "If Jiaci knew that the prince could come, she would definitely do the same."

"That's great. Please ask Duke Song to take Shimin to meet the old lady and wish her a happy birthday in person."

"Of course, Your Highness, please..." Xiao Yu said, and then he saw several large cars following behind, and his face suddenly became a little embarrassed, "Your Highness, what do you mean? Are you looking down on me?"

Almost everyone knew about Xiao Yu's upright character, so even when people gave him gifts, they would only give him elegant items - such as the four treasures of the study, or other exquisite but not expensive gifts.

But what about Li Shimin? The gifts were enough to fill several carriages.

What does he want to do?

Could it be that these cars are filled with copper coins, with the intention of smashing Old Man Xiao to death?

For a moment, everyone present was talking about it, but due to Li Shimin's status, no one dared to speak loudly.

"Hahaha, Erlang, people always say you are so smart, and I thought so too. But after seeing you today, I realize you are just so-so."

But at this moment, an inopportune voice rang out.

Li Wenbin knew who was speaking without even looking.

Li Jiancheng, who was wearing a bright yellow prince's robe, laughed and got off the carriage. He pointed at Li Shimin and said, "Erlang, don't you know that the Duke of Song will never accept expensive gifts? Even if it's the old lady's birthday, he won't make an exception. I'm not saying anything bad about you, but it's really not good for you to do this."

Li Jiancheng always seemed to be thinking about Li Shimin, but even a fool could hear the sarcasm in his words.

"The prince is here too."

"Of course, the Duke of Song is an important official of the court. Since the King of Qin is here, the Crown Prince must come as well."

"Hush, don't make any noise. Now there's something interesting to watch."

A group of people who were looking for fun and not afraid of trouble looked at Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin without blinking, for fear of missing a wonderful shot.

But something happened that made everyone drop their jaws.

Li Shimin did not argue with Li Jiancheng in front of so many people, even though he had just lost face.

He simply bowed his hands calmly and said, "Brother, what you said is very true. Shimin has learned a lot."

wow——

Li Shimin's humble attitude puzzled other officials.

These days, in the court, the forces of the Crown Prince and the King of Qin are incompatible, and they often argue over trivial matters.

Although it was only some small fry who charged forward, and the real bosses on both sides did not take action, the news of the discord between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin had already spread throughout Chang'an.

Today, the King of Qin and the Crown Prince arrived one after another, and the Crown Prince spoke harshly to Xiao Yu as soon as they met. Many officials thought that even if they gave face to Xiao Yu and did not argue, the atmosphere would probably be much more depressing.

Unexpectedly, the King of Qin retreated so easily. It really makes people rack their brains but can’t figure out why.

Perhaps he didn't expect Li Shimin to be so easy to talk to, so Li Jiancheng's prepared counterattack was of no use, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

After a long while, he forced a smile and said, "Erlang, it's right to listen to your elder brother. We are brothers from the same mother. How could I harm you?"

"Brother, you are right, but you shouldn't say that. I have never thought that you would harm me."

"That's right, that's right..." Li Jiancheng laughed dryly, quickly changed the subject, and looked at Xiao Yu, "Duke Song, congratulations."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Xiao Yu sighed inwardly, but did not show it on his face. "Your Highnesses, it's almost time. How about you please take your seat?"

"Haha, Duke Song is the protagonist today, so naturally, everything will be arranged by him." Li Jiancheng laughed and said, "But Mr. Xiao, please wait a little longer and see my gift first."

As he said that, he waved his hand and said, "Someone, bring the box up."

Soon, two servants came in front of the crowd carrying a box. Seeing how hard they were struggling, one could tell that the box must be quite heavy.

When Li Jiancheng opened the box, everyone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

wow——

It turned out that Xiao Yu's mother was a Buddhist, so Li Jiancheng ordered people to build a half-human-height statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva using pure gold.

"Mr. Xiao, please take a look. This statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva was made by me with 999 taels of pure gold, and it was also consecrated by a virtuous and powerful monk." Li Jiancheng pointed at the pure gold Buddha statue and talked about it with an extremely proud look. "I heard that Madam Xiao is very pious. I'm sure this statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva must be her favorite."

"Wow, nine hundred and ninety-nine taels of gold? No wonder it's so heavy."

"To use gold to build the Guanyin Bodhisattva, this heart... is truly devout beyond measure."

"Please move aside, let me pay my respects to this Guanyin statue first. Amitabha..."

Looking at the astonished expressions of the crowd, Li Jiancheng was extremely satisfied - wasn't it just for this moment that he had invested so much money?

He wanted everyone to see that what Li Jiancheng valued most was not money, but...