After a good sleep, the next morning it was still a fixed pattern of martial arts practice.
When something becomes a habit, such as practicing martial arts, you can endure it even if it makes you tired. Li Xian no longer felt that practicing martial arts was a hardship. As for Li Xian, although he complained a lot in the first few days, after he clearly noticed his progress, although he still complained, it was much less.
Ever since Xue Ne discovered that praising the King of England could make him complain less and practice more, Xu Ze and others also made noises from time to time.
The result was that when Li Xian accepted the compliment, although his face was expressionless, he was still a little happy. After a few days, not only did the complaints almost disappear, but he even took it upon himself to do more training on his own initiative.
Today, Xu Ze and others are still complimenting Li Xian, but Xue Ne is different. He is sitting alone in the corner, holding a wine jar, his eyes are dull, and he doesn't know what he is thinking.
After discovering his behavior, Li Xian took a break and walked to him with a teapot and sat down. He touched his wine jar with the teapot and asked, "What's bothering you? Tell me, I'll be alone." Enlighten and enlighten you.”
Xue Ne had already adapted to the way of getting along with the prince, so he didn't get up and took a big sip of wine.
Smelling the smell of alcohol, Li Xian couldn't help but worry about him even more.
This is strong alcohol. They say drinking to drown one's sorrows is not a big deal. He would not drink like that.
With a sigh, Xue Ne spoke: "Your Highness should know that the father who holds a humble position is Xue Rengui."
Li Xian nodded and waited for him to continue.
"My father was exiled to Sangju because he was defeated by the Silla fleet at Gibalpo. As a general, it is okay to accept punishment for a defeat. Before he left, my father said that he was willing to accept the punishment. However, my father was exiled to Sangju. Not long after, there were rumors that he died in Xiangzhou. What's more, when he learned that he was still serving in Chang'an, he mocked him in every possible way, saying that he didn't even go to the funeral, which was really unfilial."
After saying that, Xue Ne took another sip of wine.
Li Xian said helplessly: "Such a small thing shouldn't make you so depressed. To be honest, Xue Ne, do you think it's too unfair for your father to be exiled just because of a single defeat because of his great military achievements? And you , as his son, he has never enjoyed the shelter brought by his father, and now he is just a city gatekeeper. Do you also feel useless for your own experience? "
Hearing this, Xue Ne was shocked, quickly put down the wine jar, stood up and saluted: "What are you talking about, Your Highness? How dare you have such an idea in this humble position!"
Picking up the wine jar and stuffing it to Xue Ne again, Li Xian curled his lips and said: "Pull it down, there are only two of us here, it's okay to tell the truth. Let me tell you, your father is exiled to Xiangzhou this time..."
After hesitating for a moment, Li Xiancai continued: "It's actually no big deal that your father was exiled to Xiangzhou this time. When your father was defeated in Dafeichuan, wasn't he demoted to a civilian? Wasn't he promoted again after that? You said your father He has great military exploits, that’s right. As the most outstanding general among the few remaining generals of the Zhenguan Dynasty, is your father still afraid that he will not have the opportunity to use him in the future?"
"Don't be dissatisfied on your father's behalf, Xue Na. In the battle of Dafeichuan, our Tang Dynasty lost all the land in Tuyuhun. Especially after we discussed the peace treaty with Qinling with the Tubo generals, we were able to stop the loss. Even if the army was defeated, we still had to compromise. , although your father did it as a last resort to preserve the strength of the army and the country behind him, but don’t you know what the crime of humiliating the country by losing an army is? Let alone suing for peace. "
"Although we all know that your father had no choice but to do this, which is equivalent to bearing infamy in exchange for peace on the border of the Tang Dynasty, but it is still a fault. For someone else to bear such a crime, two cuts on the head would be enough. General Xue is just a derogatory person. For the common people, this is the result of my father’s full efforts to protect it.”
"As for the recapture of Goryeo, wasn't General Xue used again? Although he was exiled again this time, you can see that it won't take too long for him to be used again. Great military exploits are not necessarily reflected in the sacrifices he received. Mistakes will not be punished, do you understand?"
After speaking, Li Xian looked at Xue Ne quietly. There was no way, although he knew that Xue Rengui went to Xiangzhou to act out Zhou Yu's fight with the emperor, but since Xue Ne didn't know about it, it was better not to reveal it to him.
Although Xue Ne has "Ne" in his name, he is not stupid. With the guidance of the prince, he understands a lot.
Looking around, Xue Ne lowered his voice and said, "You mean, my father will be reinstated soon?"
"Nonsense, otherwise why are you still the gatekeeper of the city? Especially, you are still guarding the Danfeng Gate. You don't know how important this gate is? Look around you. Places that are not as good as the Danfeng Gate are at least Qianniu Guards. General Lang or General Lang of Guide. Even though you are just a city gatekeeper, but being in Danfeng Gate, haven’t you experienced something?”
Xue Ne scratched his head. He knew the specialness of his position, but he forgot about it for a while because he was sentimental about his father's experience.
Looking back now, it seems that this is really the case.
Seeing Xue Ne's sudden realization, Li Xian knew that he had figured it out.
The smile on Xue Ne's mouth just appeared and disappeared again. Thinking of the rumors outside, he scratched his head and said, "But those rumors are really annoying."
Li Xian smiled helplessly. There was no need to think about the source of the rumors. Moreover, he was sure that in the whole of Chang'an, the rumors near the West Market and Honglu Temple Guesthouse were the most true.
Patting Xue Ne's shoulder, Li Xian said: "It's just rumors. It's nothing. There are always some people who are idle and gossiping. You have to understand that you are not living for those scoundrels in the market. Let them spread it. It’s okay if you can’t hear me. If you’re really too lazy to listen, you can find a place to stay permanently on the south side of Hengjie.”
Since the emperor and the three provinces and six ministries all moved to Daming Palace, the imperial city here in Taiji Palace can be said to be empty. The Qianniu Guard garrison, the inner palace and other places south of Hengjie have been used for other purposes. The guards of the East Palace live in the former Qianniu Guards' garrison. Arranging someone here is nothing.
With a sigh, Xue Ne picked up the wine jar and poured the last bit of wine into his stomach.
Xue Ne stood up and saluted unsteadily, and said helplessly: "That's all I have to do. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
Li Xian smiled, then stood up and said, "You have drunk so much, why not just go and rest, I will give you a day off."
After speaking, Li Xian called to Xu Ze in the distance, and ordered several guards to take Xue Ne to rest.
The morning is a fixed time for practicing martial arts. In the afternoon, you only need to show up at Chongwen Hall, and then you can step aside and teach Taiping how to draw. Most of the annotations were attributed to him. He had already guessed this and simply didn't bother to pay attention to it.
After all, Taiping was not allowed to move to the East Palace. She still couldn't resist her mother's words.
However, she was allowed to leave the palace at will, which still made her very happy. Although the journey is longer, you can take the chariot. It just takes some time, which she can totally accept.
In the evening, when Li Xiancai walked out of the Chongwen Hall, Li Yun came up and reported: "Your Highness, Wang Qiong, the head of the Wang family in Taiyuan, asked to see him and presented four pairs of beautiful jade as gifts."
Hearing this, Li Xian immediately laughed.
It seems that compared to Zheng Wen, Wang Qiong is more flexible and flexible. Although four pairs of beautiful jade are quite valuable, compared with the future benefits, this little entrance ceremony is nothing.
"There is a banquet at the Chongjiao Hall. Since they are so polite, we can't be stingy. We can just ask the cook to cook more dishes."
Li Yun agreed and went down to prepare.
Li Xian, on the other hand, walked towards Mingde Hall.
Among the buildings in the East Palace, the frontmost one is Mingde Hall. Therefore, Li Xian made the decision and designated the Mingde Hall as the reception hall.
In front of the Mingde Hall, Wang Qiong bowed and saluted from a distance. There was no fault in the etiquette.
Taking a few steps forward to help him up, Li Xian blurted out his polite words: "Mr. Wang is so old, even if you see your father, you don't have to be polite, let alone in front of Gu, come on, come on, it's still very quiet outside. It’s hot, let’s go into the palace to talk.”
The stunned Wang Qiong could only be supported by Li Xian and walked towards the Mingde Hall.
He couldn't imagine why he was treated so politely. Wasn't the prince very powerful during the Juxian Tower?
Come to the door with a door-to-door gift, is the effect so good?
After entering the main hall and sitting down respectively, Li Xian pointed to the tea cup and said: "Mr. Wang, you can try it. This kind of tea tastes good. Compared with tea soup, although it lacks the change in taste, it is as simple as bitter first and then sweet." The artistic conception is more elegant.”
Wang Qiong took a sip. Sure enough, although the taste was much less than that of tea soup, this simple taste was still a wonderful thing.
Putting down the tea cup, Wang Qiong said: "Your Highness, I came to the East Palace today just to discuss the issue of the strong liquor with you. If His Highness is only buying grain, such a transaction would be boring. But since His Highness does not want to sell the prescription, Then, we can discuss it, I would like to use part of the grain in exchange for strong liquor, what do you think?"
Li Xian said with a smile on his face: "Does the old gentleman want to buy it for his family, or does he want to sell it?"
"Of course I have both, but I don't know if His Highness is willing to agree?"
You knew that the head of the aristocratic family was not a simple person. After just one day, he got over his confusion and turned his attention to the distribution of spirits.
It is no exaggeration to say that although Li Xian is in charge of the production of spirits, the money he can make may not be as much as that of the Wang family. The aristocratic family controls a lot of business, so their transportation capabilities are at the forefront of the Tang Dynasty. And these conditions are still not met by Li Xian.
After thinking about it, Li Xian nodded without hesitation: "Of course you can, but, old gentleman, since we want to cooperate, it's better to speak openly. You want to expand the liquor business all over the Tang Dynasty. This It's impossible. You can't be the productive force of your Wang family. So, we'd better stipulate where you can operate."
Hearing this, Wang Qiong's brows suddenly frowned.
If he cannot run the entire Datang, then the profits he can obtain will be reduced by an unknown amount.
"Your Highness, you want to sell it yourself?"
"You are just kidding. How can we sell if we don't have manpower or channels? Therefore, our business will only be in Chang'an and not reach Luoyang. As for the future, it's hard to say. But, old gentleman, do you think that if we put this A good and profitable business is all handed over to the Wang family. Will Gu still sit on the position of prince? If my father finds out, he will beat Gu to death."
Wang Qiong nodded and sighed secretly. Indeed, the royal family's fear of the aristocratic family has never relaxed. The prince had no choice but to contact him. And my idea of taking this opportunity to set up a business that makes a lot of money for my family seems to be impossible.
Making money is certain, but the amount is less than I know.
Seeing that the prince took out a map and called for him to come forward, Wang Qiong gave up the etiquette and walked to sit in front of the prince.
On the case, there is a map of the territory of the Tang Dynasty, with the various state capitals of the Tang Dynasty marked on it.
Pointing his finger at Bingzhou, Li Xian said: "Old sir, since you are looking for Gu to discuss business, and Gu is relying on you to provide food, then Gu will have to be handed over anyway to the north of Cizhou on Hedong Road. Do you think this is feasible? ?”
Wang Qiong could imagine the size of this area without looking at a map. The meaning of the prince's stipulation of the north of Cizhou is also obvious, that is, Cizhou, Jinzhou, and Taizhou are close to Chang'an, and the prince will still develop there in the future.
It’s not bad to capture most of Hedong Road.
Just when Wang Qiong was about to agree, Li Xian spoke again: "Of course, your distribution scope is here. If you go further north and trade with the grassland tribes, that won't work."
Li Xian knew very well that if they traded with the grassland, the Wang family could still make a lot of money even if they gave up the entire Tang Dynasty. The fact is that the Wang family has always maintained transactions with the grassland because of the convenience of the family area. But fortunately, they still knew the importance and did not engage in any business such as capitalizing on the enemy. Therefore, over the years, the rule of the grassland area has been relatively stable.
With just one sentence, Wang Qiong suddenly became angry and wanted to get angry, but he still endured it, raised his hands and asked: "Your Highness has made such a rule, doesn't he think that the scope of the Wang family's business is too small?"
Li Xian also refused to give in: "At most, I will give you one more Jingzhou in Hebei Province! If you don't agree, this business will be out of business."
In the fantasy world, most of the country was transformed into rivers and grasslands, and finally the grasslands were removed. To be honest, this change was too big.
Suppressing the unhappiness in his heart, Wang Qiong thought for a long time and couldn't help but said: "I heard that His Highness doesn't have many good concubines. How about selecting one from the branch of my Wang family and sending him to the East Palace to be your good concubine?"
Although the daughter of the Wang family was a side branch, Li Xian knew very well that if someone else was there, she would definitely agree.
However, since he is a prince, even if he accepts a girl with the fifth surname, she is still Liangdi, can he accept a girl from the side branch?
What a joke!
Besides, Li Xian didn't think there was anything high-class about a woman plated with "Wang family" gold.
This old guy wants to acquire more areas through this kind of marriage, which is a wonderful idea.
"Old sir, let's forget about this kind of marriage-like thing. I don't want to lower my status and accept a girl from a side branch. Let's do this. Hengzhou and Dingzhou in Hebei Province can only have these two at most. This is This is the last line!"
After speaking, Li Xian drew a circle on the map, enclosing the area that promised Wang Qiong.
Wang Qiong hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded in agreement.
