"Hahaha." Zhang Gongjin laughed loudly; "Looking at the troubled look on your face, I feel happy."
"What are you so happy about?"
"This is the first time I've seen you in such trouble."
The cotton harvest was not very good, but it was enough to cope with the situation.
Shangguan Yi watched Zhang Yang busy in the fields from a distance, "How long have Brother Niu known Zhang Shilang?"
Niu Chuang stood upright with his hands behind his back, "It's been two years. When I met him, he was just a person who was anxious to spend a few dollars. From the beginning, the small restaurant was built by Niu. .”
Shangguan Yi said with emotion: "Shilang Zhang always has a good taste."
"Well, although I don't know clearly, I have spent at least nearly ten thousand yuan in the village. Who knows how much money Shilang Zhang has had for a long time."
Shangguan Yi smiled helplessly, "Even with so much wealth, Minister Zhang still lives in such poverty."
Niu Chuang nodded, "His Royal Highness King Wei said before that the money he spent in the village could not be earned back even with this autumn hunt."
Unable to hold back the questions in his mind, Shangguan Yi straightened his clothes and stepped forward to the cotton field, "Shilang Zhang, your family is so wealthy, and you dress like ordinary households?"
"This is not picking cotton in the fields. This kind of linen clothes is also very good. It doesn't hurt if it gets torn or dirty."
"That's true."
After picking up the cotton in the field, I tested the weight and found that it was only about ten kilograms. The harvest was somewhat unsatisfactory.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, the village is very lively. Now the villagers have some money, and the children are playing in new clothes.
The wife made the first cotton-padded coat and gave it to Zhang Xiangxiang to wear.
Killing chickens and pigs, the whole village is busy preparing for the New Year.
Li Yuan also joined the pig-killing team. The old guy hurriedly picked up the knife and chopped at the fat pig that was at a loss.
Chang'an City also became lively. When Zhang Yang returned home, it started to snow in the gloomy sky.
Li Yue sat by the stove and read quietly, saying in a low voice: "Auntie went to the Ministry of Industry to inquire and said that there is no excess iron in the Ministry of Household Affairs."
Zhang Yang put the cotton into the utility room at home. The little bear came up and smelled it, then turned away with a look of disgust.
Unknowingly, it was already December of the fifth year of Zhenguan, and the cold north wind swept through the entire city of Chang'an, making people shake.
It was a cold day in the cave, but the little bear was becoming more and more active.
It is an animal that originally lived in the north, but this cold has awakened its true nature.
I collected the cotton before it started to snow. I can’t make quilts at home for the time being. I have to wait until the weather clears up and the cotton has dried.
At night, just as she was sleeping, she saw Li Yue running into the room wearing her roomy pajamas.
Then she got into bed in a familiar way.
Zhang Yang shook her cold little hand.
Curling up in bed, Li Yue grabbed her husband's arm and poked her head out to look at it, "Another letter from the Western Region?"
Under the oil lamp, Zhang Yang had a calm smile on his face, "Something is going to happen in Gaochang soon. I asked Xu Jingzong to deliver a letter a few days ago and asked Adalan to keep it, but our letter has not been delivered yet, and the letter from the Western Regions has It’s been delivered. This kind of lag in information transmission is quite frustrating.”
Li Yue rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and the couple's hair was intertwined, "There is nothing we can do about it."
"They all say that I will not be able to keep up with the changes in my plans. Now I can only wait for his letter again. The poison given to Gaochang is about to take effect."
It was rare to see such a serious expression on her husband's face. Li Yue knew that the last time her husband had such a look on his face, Li Yuanchang was in bad luck.
Until now, Li Yuanchang is still in his fiefdom and dare not return to Chang'an.
Leaning on her husband's shoulder, Li Yue nuzzled into her husband's arms again, and a sense of solidity made her fall into a deep sleep.
Early on the next morning, there was a lot of snow in Chang'an City. The little bear jumped happily in the snow, burying his head in the snow from time to time.
Since the Ministry of Industry cannot produce iron materials, it can only use its own inventory.
Calculate the iron at home and beat it into rectangular iron bars. There is a bellows on the stove at home. Push the bellows to let the flames burn up. This is the same principle as a hot air balloon.
The earthen stove is not big and is enough for your own use.
Fix these iron blocks around the barrel, and spread the raw materials in the barrel.
It's the annual New Year's Eve again, and the curfew in Chang'an City is lifted tonight.
"Instead of making a small firecracker this year, I made a big one."
Li Yue sat in the carriage and looked at the strange barrel in front of her, "Is this too big?"
Zhang Yang grinned and said: "Rumors in the world are true."
After blinking, Li Yue asked in confusion: "Is there such a rumor?"
"Of course."
The couple drove the carriage all the way to the Weishui River. This time, they didn't even take their two aunts with them.
Zhang Yang lit the fuse of the barrel, and then hurriedly took Li Yue and hid in the carriage.
"Do you have to be so cautious?"
"How do I know how powerful the thing I created is? What if it blows up to us?"
Hearing this, Li Yue hid in the carriage again, looking at the barrel not far away.
The lead was long enough to be quiet, and the two of them stared at the small sparks burning into the tube.
"Bang!"
There was an explosion that frightened Li Yue.
A ball of flame shot into the night sky, adding a very conspicuous spark in the dark night sky.
Zhang Yang held on to the reins tightly in case the horse was frightened.
"Bang!"
There was an explosion in the night sky, and a huge silver flower bloomed in the night sky, like a flaming tree. Everywhere Li Yue raised her head, she was enveloped by these silver-white fireworks. This was the largest firework she had ever seen in her life.
At the same time, Li Shimin, who was celebrating the New Year with his ministers in front of the Tai Chi Hall, also saw this huge firework. He stared blankly at the night sky in the distance. He whispered in a daze, "Here it comes again, here it comes again!"
Yuan Tiangang looked at the night sky, dropped the wine bowl in his hand to the ground, and muttered to himself crazily.
It was as if the entire city of Chang'an was shrouded in this huge firework.
The fireworks lasted only a moment, but they were enough to shock the entire city of Chang'an.
It seemed that at this moment, the city fell silent. It happened last year too, but last year there were more and smaller.
There is only one this year, but this one is very big.
The fireworks disappeared briefly, and Li Shimin raised his glass and said, "Everyone, do you know what these visions mean?"
Li Chunfeng stood up and said, "This is an auspicious sign."
Yuan Tiangang knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, last year's vision led to a bumper harvest this year. Another vision this year is an auspicious sign."
In fact, Yuan Tiangang has never seen such movement at all. Yuan Tiangang has been crazy since last year.
Li Shimin knew very well that this incident must be man-made.
Last year, Li Junxian took people to investigate, but the other party left very quickly and left no clues.
This time I will catch someone no matter what I say.
After all, the horse was frightened. Zhang Yang held on to the reins but couldn't stop the galloping horse. It ran all the way back to Chang'an City before it stopped.
As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they met Li Junxian coming out of the city with his troops.
Li Junxian saw Zhang Yang and asked in confusion: "Shilang Zhang, what are you doing?"
Zhang Yang got off the carriage and comforted the horse, but the horse still trampled uneasily. Faced with Li Junxian's question, he held his hands and said, "I have just returned from the fiefdom with the princess."
Li Junxian saluted and said: "General, I have some important matters and it is inconvenient to stay for a long time. Please take my leave."
Zhang Yang said with a smile: "It's the Chinese New Year, so you're still training at night?"
After saluting here, Li Junxian hurried away with the troops, all the way towards the fireworks.
The barrel for setting off fireworks had long since sunk into the Weishui River, and Li Junxian could find nothing but burnt saltpeter scattered all over the ground.
The couple smiled at each other and walked into the city together.
The two aunts finally made the quilts at home. With the experience of making quilts in the village, they made quilts more smoothly than before.
"Your Highness, this cotton is only enough to make one quilt." Aunt Wang lowered her head and said.
Li Yue smiled with squinting eyes and hugged the soft but heavy quilt, which was too heavy to hold. She pressed her face against the soft quilt and said, "I can sleep with my husband."
Seeing the happy smile on the princess's face, the two aunts were also happy.
In February of the sixth year of Zhenguan.
Li Shimin made a decree and conferred a lot of titles on the Duke of the state and nobles. Wei Zheng was granted the title of Dr. Zuo Guanglu, the Prince and Grand Master, Zheng Guogong, Cheng Yaojin was granted the title of Zuo's leading general, Lu Guogong, and Yuchi Gong was granted the title of Wu Guogong.
Li Shimin even gave the eldest son Wuji "Ode to the Powerful Phoenix", recalling the difficulty of bringing peace to the world in those days.
At this point, Li Shimin had gathered most of the military power, and Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji were now in charge of the government. Now Tian Khan's power has reached its peak.
The ministers saluted Li Shimin.
Li Chengqian looked at the joyful smile on his father's face. He didn't expect that the tricks Zhang Yang mentioned at the beginning could also be used by his father, and the military power that his father had always cared about was returned to his hands.
All this is the result that the father wants, the sage Tian Khan.
The weather in Chang'an City was very good in February. Another year later, Li Yue was sixteen years old. She followed Aunt Wang's movements and danced the horizontal knife.
This horizontal sword was also a gift from Qin Qiong. At that time, it was forged by himself and placed in the blacksmith's workshop.
I don’t know how it fell into the hands of Li Xiaogong.
It changed hands and fell into Qin Qiong's hands, and then into his own hands.
Thinking of Li Xiaogong, he still didn't dare to return to Chang'an City.
Zhang Yang watched his daughter-in-law dancing with the horizontal sword. Her height changed almost every year. Now her daughter-in-law was sixteen years old and she was becoming more and more graceful, especially her thin waist. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted to hug her.
I knew that the two aunts had served in the army and were the female generals under Li Xiuning.
It's just that Li Xiuning had a bad fate. She was the only princess in the Tang Dynasty who was buried with military honors.
Princess Pingyang was given the posthumous title of Zhao for her outstanding virtues and merits.
This is why later generations called her Princess Pingyang Zhao
Li Yue's health was not good. After dancing for half an hour, she had sweat on her forehead and her face was a little pale. She had to put down the horizontal knife and relax her arms.
"Today is the time when you lose the most energy and blood every month. You shouldn't practice hard at this time." Zhang Yang said calmly while drinking tea.
"I can practice it well." Li Yue said unconvincedly, holding a horizontal knife in his hand.
Aunt Yang put the food box aside, "Your Highness, the princess is ready."
The couple walked along Zhuque Street with their food boxes, heading towards the Imperial City.
Arriving at Chongwen Hall again, Zhang Yang pushed open the heavy door. The place was as deserted as usual.
Li Yue put the last borrowed book back in its place and picked up another volume to read.
Zhang Yang glanced at the scroll in her hand curiously, "Is this a military book?"
Li Yue nodded and said: "There are really all kinds of books here. I didn't expect that there are even military books."
After saying that, she sat down against the bookshelf. The sunlight fell from the window sill and fell on her. The look of her daughter-in-law reading quietly became more and more beautiful.
Especially when she stands in the sun, her skin looks more translucent.
Not long after, Wei Zheng arrived.
On weekdays, the only person who comes to Chongwen Hall besides Prince Li Chengqian is Wei Zheng.
"I have met Mr. Zheng." Zhang Yang saluted Wei Zheng.
"Did you present the strategy of enthroning the Duke to His Majesty?" Wei Zheng asked Fu Xu.
"What strategy?"
"Are you pretending to be stupid with me?" Wei Zheng snorted coldly: "The prince has already told me that this is the strategy you presented to your majesty, and it also caused the officials who originally advised your majesty to be less granted the title of Duke. They are in a dilemma. They also He was more or less knighted."
"Really?" Zhang Yang looked behind Wei Zheng.
In the distance, the prince was also walking towards here, with a smile on his face, as if he didn't feel guilty about snitching.
After all, he is a kind prince.
Li Shimin would probably not tell anyone about the market method he mentioned at the beginning. The queen would not interfere in the government affairs, and only the prince would.
Li Chengqian stepped forward and said, "With your plan, my father can let go."
Wei Zheng looked worried, "It's just that if you have too many titles, trouble will happen sooner or later."
Zhang Yang smiled calmly and said: "Mr. Zheng is worried, not to mention His Majesty's selfish motives. Even if you don't do this now, will Your Majesty just give up?"
Wei Zheng whispered: "Do you know why I want to advise you?"
Zhang Yang took two steps back and forth, cupped his hands and said, "Now that Duke Zheng is as high as Guanglu, it is even more important for him to give advice. Since His Majesty has made you Duke, it is even more important for him to set an example."
"Sometimes if you don't say what you should say, it will become regret in your heart. Duke Zheng is different from Fang Xiang and others. His Majesty kept Duke Zheng behind after the incident at Xuanwu Sect."
"Mr. Zheng knows in his heart that His Majesty appreciates your talent. If you seek your position, you should say what you should say without any regrets and give yourself peace of mind. You are worthy of your heart and worthy of your position."
Wei Zheng looked deeply at Zhang Yang and smiled with relief, "Hahaha."
Li Chengqian asked in confusion: "Why is Mr. Zheng laughing?"
Wei Zheng said: "They all say that I am stubborn and pedantic. Now it seems that I am not alone in my ways."
"My husband's lack of knowledge makes Mr. Zheng laugh."
Li Yue didn't know when she stood behind her, and she saluted Wei Zheng.
Zhang Yang raised the food box and said, "Your Highness, Mr. Zheng, we will eat together. The sun is warm and it is most comfortable to eat under the sun."
Wei Zheng was in a good mood, and Li Chengqian was secretly surprised. He had never seen Wei Zheng laughing so heartily.
Every time I come to Chongwen Hall, I am used to preparing meals for four people.
It's just two more pairs of chopsticks. With my current financial situation, I can at least have enough to eat.
(End of chapter)
