North and South groceries

Political struggle is a long and protracted tug of war, especially for those nobles with deep roots.

Luo Yong was originally just a little-known little guy who was vulnerable to these big shots. After so many years of management and accumulation, he gradually took root in this era.

Although he still looks weak now, not everyone can easily pull him up.

The reason why Luo Yong was forced out of the capital last time was not so much a betrayal by the court, but a political compromise.

After all, Luo has won the goodwill of many people with his deeds over the years. He was sent to the frontier because of his business, which can be regarded as being dealt with according to the court's law, but if someone really wants to put him to death, it will be beyond his control. The bottom line that many people can tolerate.

Xu Maogong, whose real name is Xu Shiji, was born in Wagangzhai. When he was young, he followed Zhai Rang to join the army. Later, Li Mi joined Wagangzhai and became the head of the family. Zhai Rang retired to the second place. They got rid of Zhai Rang, and it is said that on that day, Xu Shiji almost died, but Wang Bodang saved his life.

At that time Xu Shiji was still very young, about 24 or [-] years old, and Li Mi wanted to get rid of Zhai Rang. Why did he almost die? Speaking of it, it was probably because of the problem of standing in line.

Later, when Li Mi was desperate, he never thought of going to Xu Shiji.

But in the end when Xu Shiji voted for the Tang Dynasty, the tribes under him at that time, and the territory he occupied at that time, did not directly donate it in his own name, but wrote to Li Mi and asked Li Mi to donate it.

Xu Shiji's move won Tang Gaozu Li Yuan's great favor, saying that he was a pure minister.As for whether he did this out of loyalty, or a strategy, outsiders don't know.

In the following years of fighting in the South and the North, Xu Shiji was finally able to go to the Lingyan Pavilion. Compared with some of the emperor's confidantes, his status was purely based on the stacking of military exploits.

Xu Shiji is not reckless. After so many years, he is no longer the hot-blooded young man he used to be. He usually pursues a wise and safe life. He doesn't care about those messy things in the court, and those people will not come easily. If you touch his hard stubble, it will be safe and sound.

The reason why Xu Shiji said those words in the court this time was probably because he was angry.People like him who are not easily involved in court disputes have expressed their views, and the emperor's position this time is relatively clear. Those people saw that the wind was not in the right direction, so they naturally died down.

"Father." The handsome young man stood outside the study and looked into the room.

"Amao, come in quickly." The middle-aged man smiled and waved. His son has grown up a lot recently. The father was so happy that he even changed his address. In the past, if he hadn't called him "Yimao" earnestly, he would have been furious He was called "Bai Yimao" by first name and surname.

"I heard that this morning, someone was harassing the Luo family again." After entering the house, Bai Yimao sat down on the wooden couch opposite his father, and said.

"It's okay, they won't be able to make any waves for a while." There are many Xiao Xiao in the court, who are like wild dogs all day long, and they will jump up and bite when they see the opportunity. , I really have to worry about with those people all day long, whether I can live through this day.

"I heard that Xu Maogong stood up to speak today?" Bai Yimao asked.

"Xu Maogong is second." Father Bai waved his cattail fan and said, "It's better to use Sanlang's self-defeating trick."

"Self-filthy?" Bai Yimao was puzzled, did those dirty jokes count as self-filthiness?

"Children don't understand, you have to learn more and read more." It is not good to say some things too clearly, in case young people are not serious, then take it outside to say.

"I'm about the same age as Assistant Professor Luo." Bai Yimao also dislikes being treated like a child.

He still refers to Luo Yong as Teaching Assistant Luo. Although Luo Yong is no longer a teaching assistant at Taixue, there are still many people in Chang'an City who call him that. The meaning of gloating.

"You also know that you are about the same age as him." As soon as he said this, Father Bai became angry. Others' children can be independent at such an age, but this kid from his family has worked a little harder recently. It's like money, it's really incomparable, it's incomparable...

"..." Bai Yimao secretly hated himself for being cheap, and had nothing to compare himself with that coffin board.

Luo Coffin Baner: ... I am a man of two lifetimes, will I tell you?

Seeing that his father was about to start training again, Bai Yimao hurriedly slipped away and ran to his second uncle, looking for Bai Second Uncle to explain his doubts.

Second Uncle Bai is not as secretive as his elder brother, and the children are grown up, so he will let them know what they need to know sooner or later.

Second Uncle Bai said to Bai Yimao: "Do you think that a person in a high position prefers a person who is highly respected and admired by everyone, or a capable official who can tell jokes in the market?"

"!" Bai Yimao's eyes widened in shock from this answer. He has grown up so big, and he has never had this kind of thought. How could Luo Yong know such calculations at such a young age?

"Although Assistant Professor Luo has no family education, he also knows how to guess people's hearts and keep a low profile. However, this is second." Uncle Bai said to his nephew: "This man knows the small way, but he doesn't follow the small way. He has great wisdom and is young. It is rare in this world to be able to form such a wide range of good relationships, have the talent to govern the world, and tolerate people."

……

A few days later, someone in the court wanted to bring up the matter of baijiu again, but that person was timid, the saint just waved his sleeves irritably, and he didn't dare to say any more.

Therefore, even if the baijiu matter was exposed, no one mentioned it again.

In fact, compared with liquor, the emperor and several ministers in the court valued the news about tea from before.

I heard that the Lishi Ma family cooperated with several merchants including the Wang family. In the spring of this year, they collected a lot of tea from all over the south and made tea cakes the size of gongs. Recently, they were transported to Changle County via Chang'an City.

There is news from those Hu merchants that the herdsmen eat meat all the year round, and their stomachs are greasy, and they have no appetite. Soaking this tea in water, or cooking it with cow and goat milk, can scrape the oil and relieve the greasy, refresh the spirit and strengthen the body.

Most of the people in the Central Plains eat rice, noodles and miscellaneous grains as their staple food, and they cannot intuitively feel the effect of tea on the human body, but if it is true as rumored, then this tea will definitely become a very important commodity in the future.

Nowadays, the purchasing power of those herdsmen cannot be underestimated. They raise sheep and earn a lot of money every year just by selling cashmere.

The cement road from Chang'an City to Liangzhou was opened early this summer, and the cement road to the north from Mengmenguan to Liangzhou is now also open.

With these two concrete roads, now merchants want to transport goods to the places where some herdsmen gather in the west and north, and it saves time and effort than before. The trade between the Central Plains and the herdsmen in the west and north will become more and more More and more, this is a huge market that is still almost blank.

There are quite a few people who are eyeing this piece of fat. Many big families in Chang'an city sent their family members to some important border towns where trade is thriving early this year to buy houses and land.

Originally, what everyone valued was the silk, cloth and grain business. Recently, I heard that many people are planting tea in the south. Although I don’t know how far this tea business will develop in the future, the economic investment and political investment are also important. It's quite similar, you have to be ahead of others, the people in front eat the meat and the people behind drink soup, if you are later, there will be nothing.

A few days later, the emperor summoned Tang Jian and told him about Changle County.

The emperor said that Luo Yong was indeed a rare talent, and he wanted to use him more, but worried that a too prosperous official career would be detrimental to the growth of young people, and wanted to hone him, but worried that he would be broken if he was honed too much. jade.

"This son is still young, and there are no elders to care and teach him at home. Changle County is a poor, cold and barren place, far away from Beijing. I want to care and teach him like an elder, but I can't get away from him." , I can’t go to Changle in Guazhou, among the civil and military affairs of the whole dynasty, you are one of the few who get close to Luo Yong, why don’t you go for me?”

The emperor had already talked about this point, what else could Tang Jian say, naturally he only had to respectfully receive the order and go home to pack his bags.

Tang Jian went to Changle County this time. In addition to sending warmth to Luo Yong, the emperor also assigned him another task, which was to observe and understand the tea business in Changle County, and evaluate its market potential and investment value.