Don't be a prince

Yan Liben still shook his head: "Weichen Shihui knows about it, but it's the first time I've heard of cement. Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll take the craftsmen to try it, and I will definitely get this formula out."

After fooling Yan Liben away, Li Chengqian sat on the ground annoyed.

When I was young, I was ashamed to ask the director when I wanted to buy something, so a group of children went to the lime kiln outside the county to collect lime slag to earn money.It was also at that time that he asked the kiln workers about the composition of cement.When it comes to food delivery, the formula of cement can be used as a fart, as long as you know that this thing can be bought, it is enough.Who would have thought that now, in the Tang Dynasty, many things could be done with this secret recipe alone.

The guards led by the prince didn't know why the prince was so annoyed, but they were all rough people and didn't know how to relieve them, so they could only silently guard the surroundings.

"Cao Min pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Wei Chen sees His Royal Highness the Prince!"

"His Royal Highness..."

Wearing the light yellow robes that belonged to the prince to go out, that's the disadvantage, no matter civilians or officials, they can immediately judge the identity of the prince when they see this clothes.

It would be fine if it was just worshiped and thanked by the victims, or saluted by the officials to express their admiration.But being stopped by a smiling Taoist priest and being scanned all over with almost see-through eyes is too much!

Ignoring the knives drawn by the guards, the Taoist made a salute: "Yuan Tiangang pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Yuan Tiangang?

If others heard that this guy reported his family name, they might pay homage to him, but Li Chengqian didn't take it seriously.Later generations walked the streets and alleys, used to seeing fortune-tellers, fortune-tellers, and even saw old men who miscalculated and were chased and killed.

After all, this world is still dominated by people, gods?How could it exist?

Even though he has experienced the soul wear that can hardly appear in dreams, Li Chengqian still does not believe that there are gods in this world.

Thinking of the joke of "the yellow robe and the big fish and meat", Li Chengqian smiled and cupped his hands at Yuan Tiangang: "It turns out that it is Yuan Tianshi, lonely, so be polite."

Seeing that the prince did not dislike his status as a Taoist priest, but instead returned the courtesy, Yuan Tiangang was shocked immediately.

Now he hasn't made a name for himself yet, although he presides over the Laojun Temple and is still the leader of the Taoist priests in the world, the emperor has not yet taken an interest in him.

Only in the sixth year of Zhenguan, the emperor recalled Du Yan, Wang Gui, and Wei Ting, who had been exiled because they were implicated by the prince Li Jiancheng, from Yizhou. After learning about Yuan Tiangang's magic from these three people, he would regard him as a think tank.

"I saw Daoist Yuan was examining Gu just now, but what did he see in Gu?"

I have to ask, Li Chengqian intends to see if this guy is really as badass as the rumors say.

Yuan Tiangang smiled: "Although Poor Dao has the ability to judge misfortune and fortune by looking at faces, he can only look at some appearances. His Royal Highness is the crown prince, and he has his own luck to protect him. You can't see anything just by looking at faces." , you have to feel the bones."

"presumptuous!"

Before Li Chengqian could answer, Yu Tai jumped out.

As a veteran on the battlefield, he could naturally see that this Taoist priest was not as weak as he seemed, but probably also a master of martial arts.It may not be that simple for such a person to get close to the prince.

Li Chengqian reached out his hand to stop Yu Tai, and said with a smile: "Since the Taoist priest has such a thought, Gu will let you touch it, but it's agreed, if you are not accurate, be careful that Gu will bring someone to smash your signboard."

Yuan Tiangang laughed and said he didn't care.

Under Yu Tai's eagle-eyed gaze, Yuan Tiangang was searched thoroughly by the guards before he was allowed to approach the prince.

Stretching out his hand, Yuan Tiangang groped everywhere on Li Chengqian's shoulders, arms, head, and back spine.If time can be turned back, it can be found that his method is no different from the body search just now.

After touching his ankle, Yuan Tiangang stopped, stepped back and returned to the position just now.

After closing his eyes and reading a scripture of unknown content, Yuan Tiangang opened his eyes: "Your Highness, the old Taoist has a saying, not only what to say but not what to say."

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Your Highness has three calamities. The first one has already been fulfilled, and it is the disaster of falling from the horse. The second is the disaster of brothers fighting against the wall, and the third is the disaster of the old man falling down. In addition to these three disasters, it is the wealth and honor of the first life. If the second disaster does not come true, Your Highness will become a generation of benevolent monarchs."

Seeing the strangeness in the corner of Li Chengqian's mouth, Yuan Tiangang added: "Your Highness, don't think that you are old-fashioned nonsense. You will have time to prove it."

Li Chengqian turned around with a smile, and said to Tai, "Send."

Seeing Yu Tai coming over with his thick arms slumped, Yuan Tiangang sighed, thinking that the prince was dissatisfied with the hexagram "Brothers Yanqiang", so he could only turn around and leave.

Sitting on a big rock, Li Chengqian laughed loudly after guessing that Yuan Tiangang had gone far away.

What kind of good "wind mirror" can judge good or bad according to the sound of the wind and the direction of the wind, and is proficient in facial appearance, six ren and five elements, etc., all Te Niang is nonsense.

Falling from a horse?When Lao Tzu fell off his horse, there was an uproar in Chang'an, and everyone in Chang'an knew about it.It is really unprofessional to mix known things into divination.

Brothers against the wall?It doesn't matter that such a thing has a high probability of happening!Little Qingque was only one year behind her, and she had the reputation of being smart since she was a child.Whether it's me or Qingque, they are all compatriots of the same mother, and they can all get the support of the eldest grandson's family, so it is impossible for the position of crown prince to fall into the hands of other princes.This bastard probably believed that Li Tai would still covet the position of crown prince as in history.

It's just that he doesn't know that Li Tai is now a complete follower, and he admires his elder brother so much, which is not what it was in the original historical track.

As for the disaster in the octogenarian age, at that time, regardless of whether it happens or not, I am afraid that fortune-telling will be forgotten.Besides, as long as it is an old man and old lady, such a disaster may happen, do you need to count it?

As for a generation of Mingjun...

Let's just treat this guy as farting, probably he will be a praising figure to everyone, and then make some specious words to confuse the public.If it is true, it will naturally be highly respected. If it is not true, in this era of closed news, even if people speak ill of him, as long as it is not within the range of Chang'an, the voice will not spread to the second village.

A magic stick is a magic stick, and it seems that the hexagrams are quite accurate, but in fact they are all nonsense.

With such a famous historical figure making a fool of himself in front of him, Li Chengqian couldn't help feeling much better.Looking at the people on the construction site pulling the roots of the tree with their trumpets in their mouths, they don't find it unbearable anymore.

So what with bare hands?The people of China are so capable. The Great Wall and the canal were not all realized by these rough hands?

As long as the development of science and technology is sprinkled with gold from now on, who said that the industrial revolution must rise abroad?

Chapter 169 The Humble Artisan

He Shou's arrangement was very good. A relatively down-to-earth official like the county magistrate naturally knows people's livelihood very well.Not only did no one object to the wages he arranged for the victims, but it made many people cry bitterly.

Originally, such a level of locust plague had occurred, and I thought there was no way out.Who ever thought that just wandering to Chang'an, there would be work to do immediately.When the big pot of rice on the construction site is not adulterated, it is a good rice with only one water. The most outrageous thing is that occasionally you can get meat to eat.first launch.. ..

To be able to eat enough food and have meat to eat is already the grace of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Who would have thought that after a day of work, they would be given copper coins according to the level of labor.

Today's food prices in the pass have not risen too much under the vigorous intervention of the imperial court.They don't have to worry about food and drink, and the money they earn can be mailed home so that the family can buy food.Your Highness, be careful!They even assigned fast horses to ride a state capital, and the copper coins they accumulated for a few days would be sent to their hometowns without delaying work.

As for the work on the construction site, although it is tiring, isn't that what we farmers are born with?What's more, the stewards on the construction site never urge people to work, they only record who worked hard and did more.When encountering people who are desperate for work, they will go up and reprimand them.

A prince is a prince. Compared with a landlord or something, I don’t know how much atmosphere he has!

Humans are social animals, and emotions are contagious.The comparison between a construction site full of sighs and worries and a construction site full of laughter and laughter is like the difference between hell and heaven.

Yan Liben finally worked out the formula of cement.

Seeing that a large stone-like mixture of sand, gravel and cement would not break easily under a sledgehammer, Li Chengqian slapped Yan Liben on the shoulder!

"Yan Qing, ah! Just this thing, I don't know how many times better than muddy glutinous rice water. With this formula, it's hard for your Yan family to think about becoming a rich man!"

The frenzy in Yan Liben's eyes lasted only a moment before dissipating. After cupping his hands, Yan Liben took out a small box from his arms.

"Your Highness, the formula of the cement is recorded here. I dare not steal it for myself. If it wasn't for His Highness to give directions, how could I make such miraculous clay."

Unlike that bastard Zhao Yongsheng, Yan Liben can clearly distinguish his status.

After the locust plague broke out, Zhao Yongsheng, who was planning to loose grain for free, was bewitched by someone, and unexpectedly raised the price together with the grain merchants.

As soon as the court's decree came out, many grain merchants hanged themselves. As a result, this guy relied on the support of the prince, and the price of grain still did not drop.

After obtaining Li Chengqian's consent, Yu Qiusheng sent Zhao Yongsheng directly to the Ministry of Punishment.In the year of calamity, the imperial court is short of heads to stand up.If some are delivered to your door, if you don't chop them up, you won't chop them up for nothing.

And Yongsheng Distillery was taken over by Lao Cheng and changed its name to Chengji Distillery.On the first day after the name change, Donggong received the [-]% share certificate from the Cheng family.

In Chang'an's power field, merchants have no place to stand.

"You also know that it is inconvenient for Gu to set up a workshop or something, so let the general supervisor set up a fire kiln and a cement workshop. It will be the same as before, and you will not be able to handle it. You just need to send [-]% of the net profit to the East Palace on a regular basis."

Yan Liben smiled and insisted: "It's still [-]%. This cement is different from beds, wheelchairs and other things. It is something that can make a lot of money, and it will never worry about not being sold. If His Highness only takes [-]%, I will return to the future." If you serve as a prisoner, someone will poke your spine."

Seeing Yan Liben's insistence, Li Chengqian didn't say anything more.

Called the master builder who will be the supervisor, Li Chengqian just demonstrated to them, and they understood how to build a cement house.Although Datang could not make steel bars yet, the iron plates forged by the clamping method can still replace the status of steel bars.What's more, we are not making tofu dregs projects, so we don't need to worry about the house collapsing or anything.

It was the first time for the master craftsmen who were going to be supervisors to see cement, a magical building material. Although they had already learned how to draw pictures, they didn't dare to build tall buildings without building something.So, on the land leveled by the victims, they dug a hole and buried the foundation, and within five days, they built a small house for people to live in.

After the cement is completely dry, take people up to step on it.The result was very satisfying. Wooden piles laid the foundation and iron rods crossed the roof as the load-bearing layer. Even if it was full of people standing on it, the cement did not show any signs of cracking.

After witnessing the magic of cement with their own eyes, the craftsmen gave full play to their imagination and wished to build a hundred-story building.

Although the Ministry of Rites has received the emperor's order and does not care about the problem of over-regulation of the college's buildings, it is not good to be so arrogant.So Li Chengqian gave the order, just three floors!A three-story cement building, even if it is a house that has just been built with cement, should not cause major problems.

The disaster victims leveled the land very quickly, and there were a lot of people who could be called to work. Therefore, while the land was still being leveled, the construction had already started.

"This place is planned as a dormitory, where students will stay. It is planned as a playground, that is, a martial arts field. You can't use cement. Just find some hardy soft grass and plant it here."

"This is planned as an office building."

"It is being built here first, and it will be used as the branch of history in the future."

"The construction here is more spacious. Gu is going to gather some craftsmen to study here."

The previous conversation was okay, but when he heard that the artisans were also sent here to study, Yan Liben's hands trembled, and the teacup fell to the ground.

"Your Highness, you want to let craftsmen in? How can this be possible!"

Yan Liben couldn't bear to say some things.Although craftsmen had a better reputation than businessmen in the Tang Dynasty, they were also lowly occupations that were not satisfied with the land.The word "artisan household" is almost as important as lowliness. If the prince recruits artisans to study in the academy, [-] out of [-] will be impeached by the officials.

Li Chengqian glanced at Yan Liben, frowned and said, "Don't think that I don't know the status of craftsmen. From Gu's point of view, craftsmen, like peasants, trade labor for food, and can't tell the difference between high and low. Moreover, we in the Tang Dynasty want to make progress. , Many places need the participation of craftsmen. Among other things, the cement you tinkered a few days ago is the best proof? I don’t care about impeachment by the speaker, just wait, if there is a speaker, I will Absolutely put a mouthful of cement on the hall!"

Seeing the impassioned words of the prince, the craftsmen who heard it all knelt down on their knees and bowed their heads.

For them, the prince's move is to treat them as human beings!

It's not a slip of the tongue, it's a fact, a sad fact.

Their status is so humble.

1 Chapter Seventy Challenges to God

There was no class in the Chongwen Hall, and the children from various families who were studying in the Chongwen Hall were called to the construction site by Li Chengqian's order.

The children of the military have been forced by their fathers to practice martial arts and beat their muscles since they can remember, in order to kill more people on the battlefield.The children of civil officials have been reading regulations and learning Tang laws since they can remember, because no matter what kind of officials they are, they have to memorize these things backwards.

As the eldest sons with high hopes in each family, their childhood was full of hardships, but they were also blessed.Because they only need to follow the orders of their father or grandpa and concentrate on their studies. They don’t need to know how rice is made or why a wheelbarrow can save a lot of effort.

"All go to the construction site, looking for ways to save energy. It doesn't matter whether you are working or poking around as uncles. As long as you participate, the college will be built one day sooner, and you will be able to enroll one day earlier."

Following Li Chengqian's order, Changsun Chong, Qin Huaidao and others rushed into the construction site like crazy.

The reason for their madness was not the order of the prince, but a piece of good news that relieved them—

I heard that after the academy is completed, they will eat and live here, and they don't need to go home at night!

They have endured too much pressure from their families, and they are still teenagers after all. How can they not be ecstatic when they encounter this opportunity to leave home openly.

Chang Sun Chong felt that manpower was sometimes exhausted, and he simply counted on these victims who worked hard, not knowing when he would have to wait.So without hesitation, he sent one of his own guards home and asked him to bring all the inferior horses from his family's racecourse to the construction site.

Yuchi Baolin was very straightforward. His family members were just like his father, they were all strong men with thick backs. A group of disaster victims who were still struggling with the roots of the tree just now were easily pulled out after they joined.

Li Ke felt that the construction site was messy and the people lacked management, so the efficiency would be affected. After asking his brother for instructions, he took over the management power and began to divide the workers into groups and assign tasks separately.

As for Li Tai, he was worried.

Looking at the busy people sweating, and looking at his round belly, Li Tai didn't think he could bear this crime.

However, the students in the Chongwen Hall all jumped into the arena at this time, even Liu Renshi, who had always been sneaky and tricky, was digging the soil.If he didn't go down, it wouldn't be like that.

Seeing Li Tai's sad face, Li Chengqian smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder: "Qing Que, since you don't want to be troubled, then you don't have to go on. Do you remember what my brother told you before? A wise man works hard, just like a fool. should not be blamed."

Li Tai scratched his head: "Of course what Brother Huang said makes sense, but here, I really don't know how to use my intelligence."

"Do you still remember how we pumped up the water in the pond when we were in the palace?"

Li Tai just thought about it for a while, and then looked at the craftsmen who were still throwing cement on it. He suddenly realized that he called two carpenters and went to make the solid pulley.

As long as there are solid pulleys, the craftsmen working on the second floor don't need to put cement in bags and throw it up and down.A single rope can solve many problems and increase the speed of the project.

The Ministry of Industry did not get involved in the construction of the college this time, probably because it felt that such a thing was not enough to use the power of the imperial court.

Every year, craftsmen are requisitioned by the imperial court and do 20 days of white labor.Many projects of the Ministry of Industry use this to save money.Because there is no order from the imperial court, the East Palace has to pay the craftsmen who work in the construction academy.

For this one, Li Chengqian didn't feel any distress.It's only natural that you get paid for your work.What's more, since the news of the daily wage settlement was announced on the first day, the work of the craftsmen has become more refined.In the absence of a level now, with just a bowl of water, the craftsmen insisted on making the college's buildings extraordinarily level.The cement paved ground will not hurt you even if you step on it with bare feet.

The land was leveled to the side of the Weishui River, and after leaving a safe distance, the skilled craftsmen who would be the prison began to build houses for the gentlemen of the college.The small courtyard with vegetable fields by the river is much more comfortable than the house in Chang'an.

"Hehe, although we are full of economics, the means of raising money are far inferior to those of the prince! Now that the college is completed, I can move in directly with only my family's luggage. It is agreed, this old man in the yard cannot For nothing, the required expenses will be deducted from the old man's post-employment quota."

Mr. Yang Du in Luoyang was a member of the Yang clan in the previous dynasty, but because of his distant relationship and not being appointed as an official, he was able to escape the catastrophe.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, both Li Yuan and Li Shimin invited him to become an official, but they were all rejected.As a result, Lao Yang, who was bored at home and was about to get moldy, was tempted by a letter from Li Gang, and immediately rushed from Luoyang to Chang'an.

"Sir, what are you talking about? Everyone must respect teachers and educators. It's just a small courtyard by the Weishui River. How dare I ask you for money!"

Yang Du laughed loudly, and reached out to pat Li Chengqian on the shoulder: "Boy, you still don't have enough control over people's hearts. Haven't you heard the saying 'I would rather die than eat the food that comes from you'? When great Confucians come to teach, if you forcefully give them yards, it will be counterproductive. Only by asking them for money can they live in peace of mind."