Chapter 237

「Your Majesty~~~」

「Waaah~~~」

Zhang Jieyu, dressed in a palace skirt, threw herself before Li Yuan.

She lifted her head; her originally charming and lovely face was now crisscrossed with tear tracks.

Li Yuan, who was drinking wine, was instantly heartbroken.

He hurriedly helped Zhang Jieyu up and tenderly stroked her lovely face, heartbroken.

「What happened? 」

「You said before that you asked for fields in Luoyang for your father, and I have already granted it, haven't I? 」

「Your Majesty~~~」Zhang Jieyu choked with sobs, unable to speak through her tears.

Yin Defei at the side covered her mouth and laughed lightly, 「Sister, what's wrong with you? If you have something to say, just say it properly. Shouting Your Majesty while weeping uncontrollably, those who don't know would think~~~」

The knives in the harem have always been like this.

Silently and without a sound, they could stab you with a knife.

She glared hatefully at Yin Defei.

Zhang Jieyu finally spoke haltingly, 「Your Majesty, my father was attacked by bandits on Zhuque Avenue and has already passed away! 」

「Waaah~~~」

「What!? 」Li Yuan flew into a great rage, 「Who has such audacity to dare attack and kill an Imperial Relative on Zhuque Avenue? 」

「Someone come! 」

「Quickly summon the Right Wuwei General! 」

Li Yuan then held Zhang Jieyu in his arms to comfort her, 「Beauty, rest assured, I will surely seek justice for you! 」

He had no idea that the ruffian he had casually dealt with was Lin Dao, the father of an Emperor's favored concubine.

By now he had arrived outside the Qin Wangfu.

Guards stepped forward to drive them away.

At the mansions of powerful nobles, let alone entering, even loitering at the gate would get you driven away.

Those doing the driving were not security guards, but guards.

「I'm here to deliver a letter. 」

Lin Dao took out the letter and handed it over.

The guard saw that it was actually a letter from the Qin Wang and was immediately alarmed.

He hurriedly invited Lin Dao inside.

「The letter has been delivered, and I have completed my commission. 」

After saying this, he turned around, led his horse, and left.

By the time Changsun Wuji finished reading the letter and hurried out, Lin Dao's figure was long gone.

Leading his horse, he strolled through the vast Chang'an City.

Lin Dao admired this city that could be called a cultural symbol.

At this time, the Great Tang had not yet entered its own prosperous period.

But inside the city, people still surged and shops stood in rows.

Especially the East and West Markets, merchants and customers were too numerous to count.

Lin Dao ate a hu bing in the East Market and also sold his horse.

In the West Market he saw many Hu merchants from various places in the Western Regions and bought a kettle of Sanle Jiang to drink.

He wandered until dusk, when the various wards began closing their gates, and only then did he set off for Yonghe Spacetime.

「Lingjiang. 」

Lin Dao greeted Xie Daoyun, who was coaxing the child, 「Try this. 」

Xie Daoyun curiously took it, took a sip, and felt it was not bad.

Xie Daoyun spoke softly with a smile, 「Lin Lang, do you have something on your mind? 」

「Not exactly something on my mind. 」

Lin Dao sat down at the side, playing with the tiger-head shoes Xie Daoyun had made herself and various children's clothes, 「I'm just thinking, how to conveniently get to know a person. 」

「A living person is not what's recorded in books. 」

「What's difficult about that. 」Xie Daoyun gently rocked the cradle, 「Hear their reputation, observe their conduct. 」

「You know, reputation is something easily faked. 」

「Then listen to those who cannot fake it describe the reputation. 」

Seeing the child fall asleep, Xie Daoyun sighed in relief and stood up, 「Those who toil all day for a living and worry about their next meal would hardly fake it. 」

She stepped forward to help Lin Dao remove his outer robe.

「Lin Lang, I really like children~」

「I want another one too~」

Lin Dao's eyes flickered slightly, 「Actually, a daughter is quite good, I like her very much~」

The words behind were blocked back.

The next day at noon, Lin Dao appeared in an alley outside the West Market of Chang'an City.

Entering the West Market, Lin Dao found a shop selling hu bing.

「Sir. 」

The shopkeeper greeted enthusiastically, 「How many hu bing do you want? 」

「Shopkeeper. 」Lin Dao found a hu stool to sit down, 「How is business? 」

"This~~~"

The shopkeeper was somewhat puzzled, unable to figure out what this person intended.

"It's just to support the family."

The shopkeeper replied perfunctorily, "Can't earn much money."

Lin Dao smiled and asked, "One hundred wen a day?"

The shopkeeper responded offhandedly, "Where would there be that much."

"Even if it's one hundred wen."

"That's thirty to forty guan a year."

Lin Dao opened the travel bag and took out several silver ingots from inside.

"There's about three hundred taels of silver here, how about you hand over your shop to me?"

In the early Tang Dynasty, currency was scarce and purchasing power was strong.

The exchange rate between silver and copper coins was roughly one guan for one tael.

Three hundred guan of coins, undoubtedly a huge sum.

The shopkeeper stared at the silver ingots on the table, his hands trembling slightly.

After a moment, he still shook his head and refused.

"This young master, this small shop was passed down by my late father; we've been selling hu bing here since the Former Sui, I dare not sell the ancestral business."

Lin Dao leaned forward and took out several more silver ingots, placing them on the table.

"Six hundred taels."

The shopkeeper nodded heavily, "Deal!"

Six hundred guan of coins!

He sold hu bing from early morning to late night, rising early and sleeping late; daily profit was at most a few dozen wen.

How much does a manor in Chang'an City cost?

With this money, he could not only buy another shop to continue selling hu bing, but even buy a manor in the fangshi.

Such a deal naturally could not be missed.

As for the ancestral shop~

One thinks A Ye underground would also smile and agree.

He went to the Shi Shu, found the Shi Chang Ling, paid a fee, and completed the transfer procedures.

This hu bing shop located in a relatively remote part of the West Market now belonged to Lin Dao.

The shopkeeper left cheerfully with his personal belongings and family.

Leaving behind two bewildered assistants.

"You have no wages?"

The two assistants shook their heads in unison.

"Now you do." Lin Dao nodded, "Ten wen a day, are you willing to stay and work?"

"Willing!"

During the Zhenguan era, one dou of rice cost only three or four wen.

Besides the great increase in grain yield, more importantly there was a lack of currency.

Prices were even higher during the Wude era, yet similarly there was a lack of currency.

Ten wen a day was not little.

"Shopkeeper." Both were overjoyed, "Shopkeeper rest assured, the hu bing we make will definitely be delicious."

"Not making hu bing."

Lin Dao shook his head, "From now on this place will sell Flesh jia mo and mutton paomo."

"Each of you learn one, I'll teach you."

The hu bing shop closed for two days, many regular customers expressed dissatisfaction.

Fortunately on the third day it finally opened.

Rich meat fragrance wafted out, attracting many people inside.

On the chopping board, minced fragrant liangpi Flesh was stuffed into sliced, roasted-crisp baiji mo; meat fragrance soaked through the wheat fragrance.

Blanched mutton, in a large pot ladled with simmering bone broth, plus peppercorn, star anise, aromatic leaves, fennel and other spices boiled together.

Then add a little chili oil, white sugar, cilantro, minced garlic and serve in large bowls.

The aroma and appearance alone made the entering customers overjoyed.

The price was somewhat high, yet still people were willing to eat.

"So fragrant~"

"Too delicious, just a bit expensive."

"It's all meat, of course it's expensive."

Lin Dao sat to the side watching.

Listening to the eating and drinking guests casually telling all kinds of stories and news.

The main topic of recent tea-time conversation still revolved around the Prince of Qin.

"That Dou Jiande was born with three heads and six arms, a green face and fangs, mouth spitting fire, eyes like copper bells."

"Leading two hundred thousand troops, all riding tigers, leopards, bears and wolves, a dark mass rushing toward the Prince of Qin."

"The Prince of Qin feared not in the slightest, riding a dragon steed, wielding an eight-hundred-jin horse lance, leading three thousand iron cavalry charging into the formation~~~"

Such talk, Lin Dao just took as listening for amusement.

"His Majesty ordered us to find the killer, but where do we even start looking?"

"We don't even know what the person looks like, how could we possibly find them?"

"The Crown Prince was furious and gave the Right Wuwei General a stern scolding."

"Tell me, it's clearly Zhang Jieyu's father who got into trouble, so why is the Crown Prince so concerned?"

"That goes without saying, hehehe~~~"

The words of the officials of the Shi Shu, Pingzhun Shu, Changping Shu, and others were actually of some use.

Lin Dao fell into slight contemplation.

"Could it be that the matters involving Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, and Yin Defei and Zhang Jieyu, are true?"

"Impossible, surely, with their status, they wouldn't be lacking beauties by their side?"

Lin Dao vaguely suspected something in his heart, but couldn't be certain.

After closing the shop, Lin Dao went to Yonghe Spacetime and found Wang Meng.

After listening to Lin Dao's account, Wang Meng pondered for a moment.

He raised his head. "As Langzhu said, private affairs between men and women are not worth mentioning."

"I suppose they formed an offensive-defensive alliance, coordinating internally and externally to support each other."

"More importantly, both sides joined forces to influence that Son of Heaven."

Li Shimin's achievements were too great.

So great that nearly half of Great Tang was conquered by him.

His prestige in the army, at court, and among the common people was too high, and he still held military power.

How could Li Jiancheng not be anxious?

Connecting inside and outside, recruiting everyone who could be recruited, became inevitable.

On this side, Wang Meng continued speaking.

"If we speak of private affairs, I suppose there might be some."

"Oh?"

Hearing such gossip, Lin Dao also became interested. "Tell me in detail."

Wang Meng smiled. "This matter, I suppose, was the women actively seeking to bind them."

"Their purpose was nothing more than to have more security for the future."

"After all, for women, private affairs are their most important means of binding a man."

Lin Dao nodded. "I see."

Yin Defei and Zhang Jieyu were the ones who took the initiative.

As for the rumors behind concerning Li Shimin, I suppose they were deliberately spread by them.

Lin Dao did not care too much about matters of private virtue.

He mostly treated them as gossip to gawk at.

What he truly cared about was still the attitude toward the common people.

The attitude toward border threats.

And, the attitude toward the Aristocratic Clans,

"Langzhu," Wang Meng said with a smile, "Ran Min and others have sent up memorials urging you to take the throne again."

"Tell them to just focus on fighting the war with peace of mind."

Lin Dao shook his head. "Wait until they return victorious from the western expedition, and we'll do it together."

"By the way."

Wang Meng spoke again. "The Kong family also sent someone to deliver a memorial urging you to take the throne."

"The Kong family?"

Lin Dao snorted. "Do we need them?"

At this time, the Kong family were not yet the Duke Yan Sheng, and their influence was not yet as great as it would later be.

But Lin Dao knew well what disgusting things the Kong family would do in the future.

He pondered for a moment and instructed, "Arrange for the Kong family to split into branches."

"Arrange for them to go to various border regions to educate the various barbarians."

"Didn't Kong Qiu say, 'Education without discrimination'?"

"Let the Kong family properly teach the barbarians, let the barbarians become cultured and reasonable, and in the future they shall not use weapons, only use mouth cannons to lecture on great principles!"

"If the Kong family can do it, I will grant them a hereditary Duke Yan Sheng title!"

End of Chapter