After five exhausting days, Li Shan was finally able to feel clean. He got up early in the morning and went for a run as usual. When he came back, he took a shower and changed his clothes before having breakfast with Zhu.
Looking at the soy milk and tofu curd on the table, Li Shan chose millet porridge. In his previous life, his family had a tofu shop, and he was really tired of eating soy milk and tofu curd.
A pretty maid brought a bowl of millet porridge, but Xiaoman snatched it away and glared at the person in front of her, which made Li Shan laugh.
The current Li family is no longer what it was in previous years. There are more than 30 servants in the front and back yards, plus a few stewards. There are five people who manage the horses, and there are six maids and maids who serve the Zhu family. .
However, Li Shan himself is not used to having any kind of servants around him, and there are only two people, Zhou and Xiaoman, on a daily basis... The former is quite good, but the latter has not yet used real swords and guns, and only serves with words, which makes him a bit repulsive to other maids to serve him personally. Li Shan, the blond Xiao Zhao was brought back to Zhuangzi and sent directly to the kitchen.
While they were drinking porridge, Zhu Wei came in, and Li Shan greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Qi is here so early. Did you use breakfast?"
"I've used it." Zhu Wei looked at Zhu with a wry smile and said, "If Dalang brings hundreds or even thousands of people every time he comes back, Zhuangzi may not be able to accommodate them."
Zhu was speechless after hearing this. The first time his son gathered refugees from Hedong and Guanhai many years ago. Although most of them returned to their hometowns, there were hundreds of people who stayed. The second time was brought from Shandong. There were three groups of people: Ling Jing, Su Dingfang, and Qi Lao, a total of four to five hundred people.
The third time was the family members of the guards who moved with Li Shan from Daizhou and Shuozhou last year. This time there were not many, only two to three hundred people, but this time it was a bit exaggerated, there were nearly a thousand men, women and children, old and young.
It can be said that in the past few years, Zhuangzi has been expanding and building houses, and it has never stopped, but it has never been enough.
After Hou Chen and He Fang arrived in Chang'an with Li Shan, most of them had to borrow accommodation at Dongshan Temple... There was really no room left, and there wasn't even much land.
Sun Moon Lake is surrounded by dense forests to the west, Dongshan Mountain to the north, and a river dug out by Su Dingfang to the south. The only option is to build a new house at the east end of the village, but Zhuangzi is not far from the main road, and the space is really not big.
What's more, Su Dingfang became the Duke of the country, Wang Junhao became the Duke of the county, and Zhang Zhongjian, Qu Silang, and Hou Hongtao were all granted the title. They needed to leave space to build large houses.
Moreover, Li Shan will get married next year, and Li's house needs to be expanded. Otherwise, Cui Shiniang's servants will have no place to live... That would be a joke.
However, those are not the top priority. At present, we still have to deal with the accommodation of thousands of people waiting in the morning. For this reason, Zhu Wei's hair has turned a lot white. In fact, he started building a new house two months ago, but on the one hand, there is not enough manpower. It was the beginning of the autumn harvest, and it was hard to hire anyone.
On the other hand, there was not enough money in the public accounts. Although Li Shan had created several properties, they were all in a sluggish way. Moreover, the personal guards were also damaged in this war. In addition to the pension from the court, Zhuangzi also had to contribute a share.
Listening to Zhu Wei's nagging, Li Shan also sighed, the landlord's family didn't have any food left!
He will pay a share to support Zhuangzi's official account, but after all, he is a personal guard of the Li family, and Li Shan will also have to pay a share... It's not that he must give it, but the problem is that he gave it to him in the previous battles, so why not give it this time?
Doesn't that chill the guards' hearts?
The Li family has also saved a lot of money over the years. In addition to the dividends from the Zhuangzi business, there is also the profit sharing from Xia City. However, Xia City no longer distributes dividends. Several pensions have been extremely generous, and the Dongshan Temple is secretly Ku has been purchasing grain.
After all, Guannaidao and Jingzhao have been in a state of food shortage in the past few years. Food is the real hard currency, which is easier to use than money, cloth, and silk. In the past, most people hired from the countryside were paid with food.
Although the Li family's warehouse is full now, and even the backyard is piled up, and it can't fit in two new warehouses, there is really not much money.
Zhu Wei couldn't help complaining: "Da Lang is benevolent and righteous..."
Midway through the words, Zhu Wei suddenly stopped talking. He also knew that without the 400 young men supplemented by Hou Hongtao and others, the war might not have been so smooth... But with thousands of men, Zhuangzi originally only had 2,000 men in total. , almost half more at once.
Zhu thought for a while, "Now that the autumn harvest is over, we have enough manpower to make bricks and build houses at the same time. However, it is almost September, and the weather will be freezing at the end of October. I am afraid there is not enough time."
"Hire more people. It's autumn harvest and the price of food is not high. It's better not to pay with food. As for the lack of money..." Li Shan scratched his chin, "There is really no other way but to borrow..."
"Borrow from whom?"
Li Shan couldn't help but curse. This time Li Yuan made it clear that he couldn't be sealed. If he couldn't be sealed, he could be rewarded heavily. Don't you know that I love Duwu so much?
Borrow money from those aristocratic families?
Li Shan rejected it immediately. It was too wasteful to exchange such favors for some money, and the reputation was not very good. After thinking about it, Li Shan decided to ask Princess Pingyang and King Huaiyang Li Daoxuan tomorrow.
Not to mention Princess Pingyang, they have a close relationship, and because she is Li Yuan's favorite child, Princess Pingyang has a lot of money in her hands over the years.
Besides, Hou Chen and this group of people can be regarded as Princess Pingyang's old subordinates.
But on Li Daoxuan's side... Li Shan was a little hesitant. After pacifying Shandong, Li Yuan gave Li Daoxuan three thousand gold, but Li Shan snatched half of it and hasn't paid it back yet.
Well, it wasn't intentional, Li Shan really forgot.
I have to pay it back this time. Anyway, Hou Chen still has an exclusive business of soap bars. Although it is a steady business, the consumption is much greater than that of Gewürztraminer and Red Brick.
Or just ask Li Yuan for it?
This is also a way. Although it is not pretending to be crazy, it is still self-destruction.
Li Shanzheng was thinking wildly. Zhang Zhongjian came to report outside the door, asking Hou Chen and Hou Hongtao to see them.
"Everyone, please sit down. Sanlang also sits down to talk. Call Silang Qu." Li Shan got straight to the point and said directly: "After the battle at Tiantai Mountain, some of the personal guards temporarily joined the left and right Qianniu Guards. Most of them will escape after returning to the capital. , Sanlang, Hou Jiada Lang, and Qu Silang all have titles, and whoever has meritorious service this time can make up for it."
Several people were silent for a while, and Qu Silang asked: "Lang Jun, where is Brother Junhao?"
"Jun Hao entered Jue County this time, but he had already decided not to join the army." Li Shan shook his head and said, "But you are different. It is better to become an official if you can."
"Entering the Beiya Imperial Guards, under the command of brother Dingfang, no one dares to make things difficult. It is unlikely that the left and right Qianniu Guards and the left and right gate guards will be generals. Sanlang may be able to serve as Zhonglang General, and the remaining few can also serve as recorders and join the army. , long history or various divisions to join the army."
Qu Silang said carelessly: "Mr. Lang, I am a villain from a rough background. Fortunately, I am blessed by my husband. I only want to lead the horse and kick the pedal for you."
"You're a loser." Li Shan laughed and scolded, "You are now a county magistrate, and you want the county magistrate to lead a horse to the ground for an orphan?"
Qu Silang chuckled and fell silent, obviously having made up his mind. In fact, after returning to Beijing, he and Zhang Zhongjian still insisted on guarding Li Zhai day and night.
"I am willing to serve you." Zhang Zhongjian looked resolute and prostrated himself on the ground. He was an ambitious man, otherwise he would not have been so excited when he found out that he would be granted the title of Duke of Weiyang County.
Hou Hongtao and He Fang looked at each other, then stood up and prostrated themselves on the ground, "I am willing to listen to my husband's instructions."
Obviously, the latter two understood the implication of Zhang Zhongjian's words. Even if they became officials, they would still respect the King of Handan as their master.
Li Shan smiled and picked them up one by one. While comforting him, he thought in his heart that these people had made meritorious service in the battle at Tiantai Mountain and were even knighted. It was a logical thing for them to join the Beiya Imperial Army under Su Dingfang... At least they were one. Guaranteed, it is also very likely to become a back-up.
This has always been Li Shan's habit. No matter what happens, he must have a backup plan.
(End of chapter)
