hsntnovel Chapter 1832 Heading to Xinzhuangzi
Chapter 1832 Heading to Xinzhuangzi
After returning to Prince Ji's Mansion, Li Shen placed the imperial edict in his own small ancestral hall, also called the family temple, for worship.
The ancestors of the Li family are enshrined inside, as stipulated in the Kaiyuan Ritual of the Tang Dynasty.
The enshrinement now reaches the generation of Li Yuan.
Burn incense and pray to ancestors of all generations to receive rewards.
But Li Shen always felt something was strange because he was a member of the royal family. He said to Li Yuan, "Grandpa, your son gave me something as a reward."
What's the honor in this? Isn't it just chatting?
After everything was done, Li Shen ordered someone to call Wang Xuance and Wang Hongfu over.
In the study, green smoke was curling around, a censer of sandalwood was lit, and Li Shen lay in a rocking chair with his eyes closed to rest.
He thought over everything that happened today to see if there were any omissions.
Soon, Wang Xuance and Wang Hongfu walked into the study and bowed to Li Shen first.
"See you, Your Majesty."
"Well, sit down wherever you want. Chunxiang will make tea for them. I drank a lot of tea in the palace and I can't drink any more."
Li Shen waved his hands with his eyes closed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I wonder what instructions you have for us to come here.
I heard today that the prince went to court to accept an award."
Wang Xuance asked.
"Well, it is a reward, 50,000 acres of fertile land and a fief of 1,000 households." Li Shen nodded.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Our Ji Palace has gained more strength."
Wang Hongfu quickly bowed and congratulated him.
"Your Highness, have you encountered any opposition?" Wang Xuance asked, looking at Li Shen's expression.
"Yes, a little, but it's not a big deal. It just wastes some time talking."
Li Shen opened his eyes and the rocking chair continued to rock.
"I asked you to come here today because I have something for you to do."
"Please give your orders, Your Highness." The two men stood up quickly.
"Please sit down. First of all, it is about the matter of Mohe and Khitan. Wang Hongfu, you will handle this matter.
We purchase rare treasures, precious medicinal materials, ginseng, deer antlers, sable furs, and all the good stuff locally.
Whether they want money or food, it's fine."
The first thing Li Shen said was about making money.
"Khitan, Mohe? The land of the far north?" Wang Hongfu was also stunned when he heard these words.
"Yes, it is there, especially on Mount Taibai, where there are all kinds of precious medicinal materials, such as ginseng with a high age.
This king is willing to pay a thousand gold coins to buy it."
Li Shen was still fantasizing about whether there was a thousand-year-old ginseng.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Mohe tribes are divided into several tribes, all living in deep forests. I wonder if we can find them.
There are all kinds of wild animals there, so ordinary caravans probably can’t get there.”
Although Wang Hongfu had never been there, he had heard about it from some businessmen.
It's very troublesome to go there, crossing mountains and rivers.
"Then find some guards to go with you. Goguryeo's King Baozang is currently fighting the Mohe.
It is only natural that we should lend a helping hand. We have sufficient supplies in Liaodong and do not need to transfer them from Chang'an.
Or see if you can find a local to act as your guide.
Anyway, my goal is the treasure, you can figure out the rest yourself."
As a boss, all you have to do is state your goals, and your subordinates will do the rest.
Wang Hongfu saw that Li Shen was unhappy, and quickly agreed:
"Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured. I will definitely get the treasure back for you."
After finishing the first thing, Li Shen started talking about the second thing.
"Xuan Ce, there is something I need you to do. I heard that the Silla envoys wrote to...
What the King meant was..."
Li Shen repeated the plan he had told Li Chengqian, and finally instructed:
“You will be in charge of the connection with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Let the Ministry of Civil Affairs select charity granaries in coastal areas so that it will be convenient for us to ship directly by sea.
Have the Straw Hat Pirates call back a few large ships to transport food."
“Yes, Your Majesty, how do we contact Silla?”
Wang Xuance asked after agreeing.
“Well, I will personally communicate with their envoys. You should first arrange the food issue. This will also take a long time.
I have already negotiated with the prince and will buy it at 20 wen per dou."
"Twenty cents a dou?" Wang Xuance was a little surprised to hear the price.
Isn't twenty wen the market price? Why would King Ji buy it at such a high price? This is a loss.
"Oh, don't mention it. I suffered a great loss this time." Li Shen was still brooding over the mention of this.
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, Silla has a population of over one million. If we calculate based on the food needs of one million people per year,
I'm afraid we'll lose nearly a million guan this time." Wang Hongfu counted on his fingers for a while before looking up.
"Oh my heart." Li Shen covered his chest and felt uncomfortable. What does it mean to earn less? Earning less means loss.
Li Shen's heart was bleeding as he realized that he had lost a million strings of cash.
"Your Highness, we just made a little less money, and we didn't suffer any loss. Your Highness, don't be sad."
Wang Xuance hurried to comfort him.
He knew their prince too well. Prince Ji was a man who would not suffer any loss. If he didn't pick up any money on the street, he would be considered a loser.
Whenever the carriage carrying night fragrance passed by Prince Ji's mansion, Prince Ji would taste the saltiness of the food.
Losing money is the same as losing money. If things go wrong, Prince Ji may even fall seriously ill.
“Alright, I understand, let’s do it this way.
I will go to the Honglu Temple tomorrow to have a good discussion with the envoys from Silla."
Li Shen waved his hand.
Wang Xuance and Wang Hongfu stood up and bowed to say goodbye.
Li Shen lay there and thought for a while, then got up and went back to the backyard and came to Lu Dingniang's yard.
"Madam, please come out with me for a while." After entering the door, Li Shen said to Lu Dingniang.
"Where are you going, sir? Do you want to pack some clothes?"
Lu Dingniang asked, she thought Li Shen was going to take her on a long journey.
"No need, let's go and take a look at the newly awarded manor."
Li Shen shook his head. As the master of the fiefdom, he had to go and take a look at it.
I won't go there anymore. This is the rule, let them get to know their master and mistress.
Lu Dingniang nodded and changed her clothes. Li Shen thought about it and asked Lu Dingniang to bring the fourth son with her. He was the eldest son and all these things would belong to him in the future.
Although he is still young, Li Shen plans to let him represent himself in future sacrifices.
Soon Li Shen took Lu Dingniang and the child to Xinzhuangzi in a carriage.
Xinzhuangzi is located twenty miles southwest of Chang'an City.
This place is much bigger than the eldest prince’s estate. As it is the queen’s estate, it is also called the imperial estate. It doesn’t have any special name.
When Li Shen's large army arrived at the gate of Zhuangzi, someone was already waiting there.
Li Shen had already sent someone to notify in advance.
The carriage stopped at the gate of the manor, and an old man immediately came forward to ask:
"May I ask if you are His Royal Highness Prince Ji?"
Li Shen got out of the carriage, turned around to take the child, and helped Lu Dingniang get off the carriage. Then he turned around, looked at the old man and said:
"It is this king."