People in the Tang Dynasty, Jian'an style

Wang Hexuan said while touching his daughter's head lovingly.

This was the inner hall, with only the three of them present, so they spoke without much consideration.

"Alright, alright, you two just collude to bully others." Madam Wang rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "By the way, the Zhou family sent someone here again today and brought a lot of things. I think they are quite sincere. How about..."

"No!" Wang Hexuan and Wang Wanrong shouted almost at the same time.

"Mother, why did you let the Zhou family in again? Have you forgotten how they treated our Wang family in the first place? Not only did they cancel the arranged marriage, but they also insulted my father, almost driving him to his death. Now that our Wang family has just made some progress, they shamelessly come up to us and want to remarry. How can you bear to let your daughter marry into such a family?"

When the Zhou family was mentioned, Wang Wanrong, who was still sleepy, stood up suddenly, her eyes wide open, and spoke to Mrs. Wang angrily.

Chapter 133 Gossip

"I, Wang Hexuan, was blind to get engaged to the Zhou family. If I really wanted to marry Wanrong to the Zhou family, wouldn't that ruin our daughter's life?"

Wang Hexuan was also furious. If Li Wenbin was here, he would be very surprised. He was always tolerant and kind to others, and it was rare to see him so angry.

"Humph, if you want to break off the engagement, you will lose face."

"Madam, why are you so confused!" Wang Hexuan looked distressed, "The Zhou family is not good by nature. If my daughter marries into that kind of family, she will only suffer for half her life. How can my mere appearance compare with Wanrong's happiness for the rest of her life?"

When Wang Hexuan's business failed, the Wang family was almost unable to recover. But to make matters worse, the Zhou family, who had already been engaged to Wang Wanrong, actually broke off the engagement.

Wang Hexuan was so angry that he went to the Zhou family to seek justice, but he was insulted by the Zhou father and son. He was so angry that he jumped into the river on the way home to commit suicide. Fortunately, he was rescued.

Afterwards, Wang Hexuan calmed down and felt somewhat fortunate. Although his family business was ruined, at least he saw the true face of the Zhou family's power-seeking nature, so his daughter would not suffer after marrying into the family.

Li Wenbin now values ​​the Wang family, but the Zhou family, seeing this, shamelessly wants to regret again. Last time, Wang Hexuan had sent people to kick them out, and now they dare to come again today?

Mrs. Wang saw that her husband and daughter were really angry, and she thought of her husband jumping into the river when he was depressed. She felt a little scared. What if Wang Hexuan was really gone at that time, how would they, an orphan and a widow, survive?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel resentful towards the Zhou family, and immediately admitted her fault: "Okay, I know I was wrong. I will have someone send the gifts back to the Zhou family tomorrow, and I will never mention remarriage again."

"Hehe, this is my good mother!" Wang Wanrong saw her mother agreed, but was afraid that she would be unhappy about what happened just now, so she hugged Mrs. Wang's neck and said coquettishly, "Mother, look at how beautiful your daughter is, and your father is favored by the King of Qi. Restoring the family business is just a small matter. Maybe there will be greater development in the future. So your daughter will not have trouble finding a husband. You can just sit at home and wait for others to propose marriage!"

"Prince Qi, Prince Qi! You only talk to your father about that Prince Qi. He is the one who caused you to remain unmarried until now." Madam Wang complained unhappily. She paused for a moment, as if she had thought of something. Her eyes lit up and she continued, "I heard that Prince Qi is about your age and still unmarried. Why not just marry you to him!"

"That's just a woman's opinion. The King of Qi is of such a high status that he cannot possibly marry a merchant girl." Wang Hexuan could not help but scold his wife when he saw that she was daydreaming again.

"Humph, he wants to marry me but I don't." Wang Wanrong looked dissatisfied and argued, "But I heard that the King of Qi already has an engagement. His fiancée is... hehe, haha, a little girl of two or three years old!"

"Oh, no way. The Prince of Qi is a prince after all. How could he marry a woman who is so much older than him?" Mrs. Wang seldom went out, so she didn't know the ins and outs of Li Wenbin's engagement.

"Mom, this is very interesting. Let me tell you about it. It happened a few months ago..." When Wang Wanrong talked about Li Wenbin's embarrassing incident, she immediately became very interested and told her all the rumors she had heard. Women love these gossips the most, especially someone of Mrs. Wang's age, so she was also very excited to listen to them, and would occasionally interject and express her opinions.

Looking at the gossipy mother and daughter, Wang Hexuan had no idea what to do with them. He could only smile bitterly and shook his head, then picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating his midnight snack.

After dinner, Wang Hexuan thought about the coal again. His daughter happened to be there too. Wang Wanrong had a great talent in business and might be able to see what Li Wenbin was going to do. So Wang Hexuan interrupted the gossiping mother and daughter and told them about Li Wenbin's plan to buy the coal producing area from him tonight.

"Wanrong, why did Your Highness purchase those useless coals? I've been thinking about it all the time but still can't figure it out." Wang Hexuan asked his daughter who was thinking. He really wanted to know Li Wenbin's intention, otherwise he might not be able to sleep again tonight.

"I know!" Wang Wanrong, who had been thinking hard, suddenly relaxed her brows and said excitedly, "This King Qi is really cunning. He threw out a piece of cement for others to grab, but he was quietly preparing to make a fortune."

After hearing his daughter's words, Wang Hexuan was also shocked and said anxiously: "Wanrong, do you really want to understand His Highness's intention to purchase coal? Talk to your father quickly!"

"Hehe, father, you are in the middle of the game, so you can't see the connection clearly. In fact, with your intelligence, as long as you can step out and think about it, and combine it with some previous information, you will definitely be able to guess the little tricks that the King of Qi is playing!" Seeing her father so anxious, Wang Wanrong kept it in suspense and said with a smile on her face.

Although Madam Wang didn't care about business matters, she saw her husband was so anxious and her daughter deliberately kept silent, so she stepped forward and patted Wang Wanrong on the head and scolded her, "I knew you were full of ideas. Tell your father quickly what the King of Qi is planning."

"Mom, your daughter is so smart. What if you make her stupid and she can't get married in the future?" Wang Wanrong said with dissatisfaction, rubbing her head.

"Go! The reason you can't get married is because of that King Qi. What does it have to do with me?"

"Okay, you two stop bickering. Wanrong, tell your father quickly what the King of Qi is planning." Wang Hexuan stopped the mother and daughter from bickering. Mrs. Wang usually has nothing to do at home, and only Wang Wanrong is with her. The mother and daughter's biggest hobby is bickering, and once they start arguing, it never stops. He doesn't want to listen to them quarreling in the middle of the night.

"Since you are so sincere, I will tell you." Wang Wanrong smiled mischievously and ignored Madam Wang. She turned to her father and said, "Actually, this matter is very simple. Just think about it. Why did Li Wenbin suddenly become so interested in coal after launching cement? There is only one answer, that is, coal must play a very important role in the production of cement."

Although it was just a short sentence, to Wang Hexuan it sounded like a bright light in the darkness, instantly illuminating a corner of the fog in front of him, making him seem to have grasped something vaguely, but he couldn't explain it clearly for a moment.

Wang Wanrong continued, "Although the method of making cement has always been a mystery, I can now be sure that cement is definitely made by calcining it, just like burning lime. The only difference is the proportion of the ingredients."

Chapter 134 Taiyuan Wang Clan

Wang Hexuan, who had already understood the truth, had new doubts after hearing his daughter's words. He couldn't help but ask, "Wanrong, it's not hard to guess that cement is made by burning. After all, the biggest function of coal is burning. Your Highness is so eager to acquire coal-producing areas, which also proves this point from the side. But how do you know that the method is similar to burning lime?"

"Father, have you forgotten what that new cement factory in the suburbs was used for?" Wang Wanrong said proudly again.

"There? Isn't that the Ministry of Industry's lime workshop? Ah! I understand!" Wang Hexuan was confused at first, then he slapped his thigh and finally figured out the key.

There were so many workshops under the Ministry of Industry, so why did they choose the lime workshop? Moreover, both things need to be calcined. Apart from the different colors, the appearance of lime and cement is actually similar. Although this cannot prove anything, it is enough to show that Wang Wanrong's guess is very likely.

After figuring it all out, Wang Hexuan was in a very happy mood, especially about Li Wenbin's acquisition of coal, he was full of admiration.

Coal is seldom used by ordinary people because it is difficult to ignite and not as convenient to use as firewood and charcoal. However, it is very suitable for large-scale calcination in workshops. Moreover, it is more durable than firewood and charcoal. In addition, it is low in cost, so there is no need to worry that those who plan to build cement plants will not buy it.

Wang Hexuan certainly praised Wang Wanrong, his smart daughter, but it was already midnight, so the three of them talked for a while and then went back to their rooms to sleep.

Knowing Li Wenbin's plan, Wang Hexuan became more concerned about the acquisition of coal.

The next day, he went to Heishi Mountain in person. Due to the influence of the open-pit coal mine, there was almost no grass growing within dozens of miles, so it was basically an ownerless wasteland. The two of them went to the local county government to register, and then paid less than a hundred strings of money, and bought all the land within dozens of miles around Heishi Mountain.

Next, Wang Hexuan asked around to see if there were other places around Chang'an where coal was produced, and he found four more.

However, these places are a bit far from Chang'an, and the coal is buried deeper, not as good as the situation in Black Stone Mountain. But he still spent money to buy them all - after all, these are all wastelands and it won't cost much in total.

……

On this day, the Wang family's restaurant was still very lively.

The sounds of dishes being announced in the hall on the first floor were heard one after another. The waiters serving the dishes were coming and going like butterflies, each of them so busy that they couldn't even catch their breath.

But even so, no one had any complaints.

Because the guests who come here are very generous, not only do they only order the most expensive dishes, they also give generous tips to the waiters, so people in the restaurant seem to be particularly efficient.

When everyone was busy in the hall, the door suddenly darkened and a group of masters and servants came in from outside.

This group of people were obviously from a wealthy family; even the servants' clothing and behavior seemed extremely extraordinary.

The leader was a handsome young man with a fair face and short beard. He looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a tall figure and handsome looks. There was always a faint smile on his face, which made people like him at first sight. He wore a very decent green round-necked robe and a round jade hung from his waist.

If someone with sharp eyes can see, the workmanship of the jade is extremely exquisite, with a seal character "王" carved in the middle.

Young Master Wang, who had just come in, greeted the people he knew, then excused himself and went straight to the private room on the second floor.

"Brother, this prince seems to be of extraordinary background. Who is he?" A skinny businessman asked the people around him, wanting to know the background of this prince.

"Hey, brother, you travel south all year round, right?" The person being asked was a burly middle-aged man with a dark face full of weather-frost. One could tell at a glance that he was a traveling merchant who worked outside all year round.

"Hey, brother, how did you know that?" the thin businessman asked curiously. Although he had been traveling along the southern trade route for many years, he was originally from Luoyang and spoke the Guanzhong dialect very standardly. How did this big man know his background just by listening to him?

"Haha, this is easy. If you are a businessman traveling north, how could you not know the Prince of Taiyuan?" the middle-aged man said with a big laugh.

When the merchants who were traveling north like him heard his words, they all had a look of reverence on their faces. These people were experienced people who had traveled far and wide, and it was rare to see them truly admire someone so much.

"Prince Wang of Taiyuan? Could he be from the Wang family of Taiyuan?" someone exclaimed immediately.

The Wang family of Taiyuan has been an aristocratic family for generations. There is a saying in the Tang Dynasty that there are five surnames and seven hopes. The five surnames refer to Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng, and Wang, and the seven hopes refer to the seven most famous representatives of these five surnames, namely, the Cui family of Boling, the Cui family of Qinghe, the Lu family of Fanyang, the Li family of Longxi, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the Wang family of Taiyuan. The descendants of these seven families are spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty's literati and government, and many of them hold important positions. They have great reputation and influence both in the court and among the people.

"Yes, Young Master Wang is from the Wang family of Taiyuan, and he is the eldest son of the family. I heard that he was very smart when he was young. He could read at the age of three and write poems at the age of seven. He passed the imperial examination before he was twenty. Unfortunately, for some reason, he suddenly became interested in business a few years ago, abandoned his status as a juren, and started to manage business for the Wang family."

The middle-aged man was proud at first. After all, he was a businessman of low status, and it was really an honor for him to know a young master of the eldest house of Wang family.

But at the end, his tone turned to doubt. You know, although the Taiyuan Wang clan is spread all over the world, the position of clan leader has always come from the eldest branch of the Wang clan. It is impossible for someone with such a noble background to do such a lowly thing of buying and selling things?

"Brother Hong is right, but it is also thanks to Young Master Wang who has changed the Wang family's previous tyranny of exploiting the land since he took office. Not only did he reduce the commission from 30% to 10%, but he also stepped forward to gather small caravans into a large caravan to act together. You must know that the northern grasslands are not peaceful. If you are small and weak, when you encounter those small tribes that are crazy with poverty, they will definitely swallow up both people and goods. Only the large caravans with large numbers and power dare not make any plans!" An old man with a scar on his face said slowly. The old man had an eagle nose and deep eyes with blue pupils. He was obviously a Western Hu merchant, but he spoke Guanzhong dialect with standard pronunciation, which was more standard than that of ordinary Han people.

Taiyuan was the most important hub on the northern trade routes and the border city with the most frequent exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and the northern grasslands. Whether Tang Dynasty merchants were heading north or grassland merchants were heading south, they had to pass through Taiyuan.

After generations of operation, although Taiyuan is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty government, it is actually the Wang family that is in charge of Taiyuan. The most profitable businesses are firmly controlled by the Wang family. All goods entering Taiyuan must go through the Wang family's commission, and the Wang family will come forward to find buyers for all parties.

Chapter 135: Getting Close

Another northern merchant said with gratitude, "That's right. Last time, my goods were robbed by a small tribe of Tiele. Fortunately, Prince Wang happened to be passing by with his team. That night, he led his men to kill the small tribe and took the goods back. I wanted to give half of the goods to Prince Wang, but he refused to accept them. He said that since I have the Wang family's pass, he will definitely guarantee our safety."

Hearing these people talking about Young Master Wang's kindness, the others who had received his kindness could not help but talk about Young Master Wang's noble character.

The merchants traveling to the south also listened with great interest, and at the same time they were lamenting in their hearts, wondering why this prince did not appear on the southern trade route?

Otherwise, why would we have to endure the bullying of those chieftains and headmen?

While everyone in the hall was talking about the elegant prince, the light at the door suddenly dimmed and another group of people walked in. The leader of the group was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with red lips, white teeth, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a very handsome appearance.

Although they are not very old, they are as tall as adults. The clothes and accessories they wear may seem ordinary, but these experienced businessmen have discovered that both the clothes and accessories are carefully made by skilled craftsmen.

Following closely behind the young man was a maid of extraordinary beauty. Her every move was dignified and graceful like a lady from a noble family. If you didn't look at her clothes, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was a maid.

Following at the end were four strong guards with swords hanging from their waists. Their cold but murderous eyes were scanning the surroundings. It seemed that as long as there was anything unusual around that threatened the boy's safety, they would immediately launch a desperate counterattack.

Seeing the young man and his group coming in, the businessmen who were talking loudly just now immediately shut up.

Anyone with a little bit of insight could tell that this young man was definitely not an ordinary person. He was most likely the son of some noble family who was out for fun, and businessmen like them couldn't afford to offend him.

If any words accidentally offended the other party, it would be a disaster, so everyone tacitly kept their mouths shut.

However, they were also wondering in their hearts. The demeanor of the young master Wang just now was already impressive, but this young man's temperament and manners seemed even more noble than that young master Wang. Although Chang'an was the imperial capital, they had never heard of any family education that could compare to that of the Wang family, which was one of the five most famous surnames.

"Oh, I'm an old man, here to see you, sir. Please go upstairs. We have prepared a private seat as you requested!" As soon as the young man came in, the shopkeeper, who had been smiling at the counter, ran out and said to the young man in a fawning manner.

"Old Wang, I'm a frequent visitor here too. You don't have to greet me so exaggeratedly every time you see me, right?"

The young man smiled helplessly, he just helped the other party with a small favor, but the old man took it to heart, and every time he was overly enthusiastic, which made people unacceptable.

"I am truly grateful to you, sir. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know where I would be now." The shopkeeper, Lao Wang, kept a smile on his face but spoke very sincerely.

This young man was naturally Li Wenbin. Almost everyone in the restaurant knew him.

The last time the Turks caused trouble here, if Li Wenbin hadn't intervened, this restaurant would have been smashed to pieces by that group of thugs.

And if such a thing really happened, Lao Wang, as the shopkeeper, would naturally be implicated.

That's why he is so grateful to Li Wenbin.

"Okay, Lao Wang, you stay here to greet the guests. I can go upstairs by myself!" Li Wenbin couldn't stand Lao Wang's enthusiasm and hurriedly got rid of him and went upstairs.

The second floor is different from the lobby on the first floor. There are some private seats here. The so-called private seats are actually a set of separate tables and chairs separated by screens. There are musicians playing music in the four corners of the second floor. Although it is not as luxurious as the private rooms on the third floor, it also has its own flavor.

Li Wenbin was alone today, so there was no need for him to occupy a private room by himself, so he asked Lao Wang to reserve a window seat for him, from where he could see what was happening on the street outside.

Ruyue helped Li Wenbin sit down, and then asked the waiter to prepare wine and food. After a while, the food and wine were served.

While Li Wenbin and Ruyue were chatting and laughing, they suddenly heard a baritone voice beside them say, "Little brother, you look very impressive and have a noble bearing. I am Wang Ping from Taiyuan. Would you like to have the honor of sitting at the same table with me?"

Li Wenbin looked in the direction of the voice and found that the person who was speaking was sitting diagonally opposite him. He was no more than 20 years old, wearing a very decent green round-necked robe, with a round jade hanging from his waist and a faint smile on his face. He made people feel good about him at first sight. He was the prince of Taiyuan who arrived earlier than Li Wenbin.

"Oh, since Brother Wang has such a refined taste, I would certainly love to meet you." When Li Wenbin heard the other party introduce himself as the Wang family of Taiyuan, his heart was moved. He understood better than anyone the influence of aristocratic families on the political direction of the Tang Dynasty. Although the power of these aristocratic families has declined due to the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, they still should not be underestimated.

Hearing Li Wenbin's agreement, the young master named Wang Ping was immediately overjoyed. He ordered his servants to move the table opposite Li Wenbin so that the two of them sat opposite each other.

The scholars of the Tang Dynasty were influenced by the famous scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and they were casual in what they said and did.

The same applies to friendships. If you like the other person, just go up to him/her and start a conversation. If you find that you can't get along, that's okay. Just bow and say goodbye. There's no need to worry about saving face.

"May I know your name, little brother?" Wang Ping ordered the servants around him to move the table over, and as soon as he sat down, he immediately asked enthusiastically.

"Oh, I'm the second brother at home, so you can call me Erlang, brother." Li Wenbin said with a smile, "I wonder when you arrived in Chang'an, are you going to take part in the imperial examination next year?" This young man, both in his dress and in his demeanor, looked like a scholar who came to Chang'an to take the imperial examination, so Li Wenbin asked this question.

Although he was Li Shimin's eldest son, Li Wenbin did not like others calling him "Da Lang" as it always reminded him of a historical celebrity.

Although he also knew that the real Wu Dalang in history was actually a tall Tibetan man of seven feet in height, who was very loving to his wife, he was slandered only because he was an official appointed by the court and refused to help his relatives to make profits, so that his reputation would be remembered forever.

But Li Wenbin couldn't change his habitual thinking over the years, so he simply let people call him Erlang.

Chapter 136: Chatting (rolling around asking for votes)

When the imperial examination was mentioned, Wang Ping's eyes dimmed, but he returned to normal in the blink of an eye, and said with a smile, "I just arrived in Chang'an the day before yesterday, but I didn't have the chance to participate in the imperial examination. Although the Wang family is a noble family, I am not ambitious. I have never liked studying since I was a child. I have been idle all day and hung out with the merchants downstairs. I am sorry to make Erlang laugh."

Li Wenbin did not expect that the other party was actually a businessman, and from his words he seemed to be somewhat self-deprecating. It was obvious that he felt somewhat contemptuous and helpless about his identity as a businessman.

This is not difficult to understand. On the one hand, the Tang government encouraged industry and commerce, but on the other hand, it despised businessmen.

So this leads to a strange phenomenon: although everyone knows that businessmen are very rich, very few people are willing to take the initiative to join the ranks of businessmen.

"Brother Wang, you are wrong. Business is also a legitimate occupation. If there were no merchants buying and selling, let alone other things, just the two most basic words 'food and clothing' would be enough to give people a headache." Li Wenbin said this, stretched out his hand to pick up a piece of food and put it into his mouth, chewing it slowly. He did not discriminate against merchants. Coming from the future, he knew the importance of merchants better, so he could not help but speak.

Wang Ping's expression was slightly moved after hearing Li Wenbin's words. With admiration in his eyes, he praised: "I didn't expect that you, Erlang, are so insightful about business at such a young age. I have lived a few more years in vain, but I have always been entangled in my own identity. After hearing Erlang's shocking words today, I finally felt enlightened. Please accept my greetings!"

As he said this, he stood up and actually bowed to Li Wenbin.

Li Wenbin hurriedly stood up and supported him, and said modestly: "Brother Wang, please stand up quickly. I am just an ignorant boy trapped in Chang'an. I talk big all day long. How can I be worthy of your respect?"