After looking up and down, the old man saw that Li Shimin had extraordinary bearing and luxurious clothes, so he must not be an ordinary person.
There was a bit of restraint in his tone. He got up first and bowed: "To tell you the truth, we are all nearby villagers and we are going to Licheng, Qizhou."
"Licheng?" Li Shimin was a little confused. That was where Li Ke's palace was.
He continued to ask: "Is there any extra land? What can I do with it?"
Seeing Li Shimin's easy-going attitude, the old man put his mind at ease and continued to answer: "It's the slack season now, so all of us folks are going to Licheng to find work in order to earn some money."
"I heard that His Highness the King of Shu has opened a cement factory in the city, and the wages he pays are fifty cash per day!"
cement?
This new word made Li Shimin a little confused, but what shocked him even more was the salary of fifty cents a day!
The people in Chang'an only earn about the same amount of money a year.
If the old man's words are true, then just one month's work can earn enough money for the humiliation of ordinary people's aunts!
But what does a cement factory do?
Li Shimin's face was uncertain, and he continued to ask: "On the eve of the people's departure between counties, they need to clear customs records. Licheng is the seat of the state and county. Can the Yamen in my hometown issue so many road signs?"
The old man chuckled: "Lu Yin, he was deposed by His Highness the King of Shu half a year ago. Now as long as the people in our Qizhou territory can move freely among the states."
What a nonsense!
Li Shimin trembled with anger.
The rules of the ancestors and the laws of the imperial court were abolished when Li Ke said they were abolished? Does he still have this father in his eyes?
No wonder this traitor refused to return to the capital. It turned out that he was doing such nonsense in the fiefdom!
When he got there, he must teach Li Ke a lesson.
Seeing Li Shimin's gloomy face, Fang Xuanling couldn't help but shudder, and couldn't help praying for His Highness the King of Shu. I couldn't help complaining that he was too brave and dared to revoke the decree at will. This was provoking Huang Quan!
Li Ke, the king of Shu, seems to be in danger!
After the old man left, Li Shimin was no longer imprinting his anger.
He said coldly: "Quickly travel, I want to go to Licheng in person to see how many bastard things that traitor has done!"
Li Shimin had a cold face the rest of the way.
Empress Changsun asked Fang Xuanling the whole story. He originally thought that the empress would persuade the emperor, but this time, the empress rarely said anything.
Two days later, the guards came to report.
"Your Majesty, Li City is five miles ahead!"
Li Shimin, who was closing his eyes to rest, opened his eyes, and a cold light appeared in his eyes, filled with murderous intent.
"Enter the city."
He ordered coldly, but suddenly there was a cry of surprise from outside.
"What is that!"
Li Shimin stuck his head out of the window and followed everyone's eyes. In the sky not far away, there are two surprisingly high chimneys, with bursts of light gray smoke spraying out, much like a giant beacon tower.
"Is there a war ahead?"
In the Tang Dynasty, such huge black smoke was usually lit only for military reasons.
"In that case, it's better to send someone to spy first."
Fang Xuanling suggested that after all, Li Shimin's safety was the first priority, and secondly, if it was really the trick caused by Li Ke, the king of Shu, with the emperor's temper, he would probably kill his son directly.
He wanted to let the guards talk clearly first, and then ask the King of Shu to come and admit his mistake and ask Li Shimin to bring down the fire.
Mainly, he himself was curious about what those two thin pillars were for.
From behind, a soft female voice suddenly came. It turned out to be Queen Changsun who also got out of the car.
"Your Majesty, Li City is Ke'er's fiefdom. He doesn't know that Your Majesty will pay a private visit incognito, let alone run away. In this case, we might as well pretend to be common people and take a look around. When we question him, we will be able to speak fully. "
Li Shimin nodded and put his arm around Empress Changsun's shoulders: "It's my Guanyin maid after all. She is right. Let's go to the city first."
Fang Xuanling and several guards looked at each other, and then stepped forward to agree: "Your Majesty is wise, I think it is better for your Majesty to continue to hide his identity."
"That's natural. If you go to see it in a big way, I'm afraid the traitor will be on guard."
After dressing up, the group got off the carriage and walked towards the chimney.
The big chimney is outside the city wall, not far away.
There were people coming and going around, which proved what the old man said about recruiting workers.
When Li Shimin walked forward, his eyes almost popped out.
There was a tall, smooth wall in front of him!
The whole body is smooth, as if a stone wall has been erected out of thin air!
Li Shimin walked forward and didn't find any cracks. Then he slashed hard. He only felt pain in his wrist, but the wall didn't hurt at all.
"It's interesting. It's harder than a stone mountain."
Behind everyone, a chuckle suddenly came,
"Let me tell you, our concrete wall can't be hit by a siege truck. What's the use of cutting it with a knife? Don't waste your efforts, lest you hurt yourself."
Li Shimin looked back and saw a middle-aged man with a big belly. Dressed in silk and satin, he looks like a businessman.
"May I ask your Excellency?"
Seeing Li Shimin's extraordinary bearing, the man also bowed his hands.
"The next person with the same surname as Yuan Shou is from Yucheng and comes to Licheng to do some business to make a living."
Li Shimin nodded and said in a deep voice: "Shopkeeper Qi, I am from the capital, and my name is Li Er. I saw this strange wall when I traveled here. What did you mean by cement just now?"
Qi Yuanshou stroked his beard and smiled: "This wall is made of a mixture of cement and sand. It is the handiwork of His Highness the King of Shu. It is extremely hard and no one can break it!"
"Behind this wall is the cement factory, which specializes in the production of cement. I heard that the houses and roads in this factory are all made of cement!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned slightly.
Qi Yuanshou saw the surprised look on Li Shimin's face and then smiled: "It turns out that you are from the capital, so it's no wonder. The city wall of Licheng has just been renovated with cement. You must have never seen it before."
"No, I heard that the King of Shu has ordered all county offices in Qizhou to use cement to pave official roads. This cement factory is working overtime."
When everyone heard this, everyone looked shocked.
I don’t know where Li Ke got the cement from, I’ve never heard of it before.
No matter what, Li Shimin was very happy. At least what Li Ke did was a good deed that benefited the country and the people.
But then, Li Shimin showed concern again: "Repairing official roads is no small matter, so where did the silver he used for repairs come from?"
Qi Yuanshou laughed again: "As for silver, His Highness the King of Shu has contacted Qizhou merchants and asked them to join in."
"And just tonight, all the rich people in Qizhou have arrived in Licheng."
"I have also received an invitation from His Highness the King of Shu. I see that Brother Li is also very dignified. If you are interested, you can go and have a look."
Afterwards, Qi Yuanshou showed a lewd smile on his face and approached Li Shimin. He lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the venue of this grand meeting is the newly opened brothel in Licheng."
