Chapter 168: Elbow, Come Into the House with Me (asking for monthly ticket)

Li Su listened to what Li Xiang said.

In fact, her purpose at the beginning was not to make money, but to get the "Princess Gaoyang of Anguo" promised by Li Xiang.

This is not only an honor, but also a symbol of status.

When Li Xiang turned around to eat, he found that the grilled fish in front of him was being secretly pulled to the side.

He turned his head and saw that it was Feng Qing's daughter Feng Yingying.

Seeing Li Xiang looking at him, Feng Yingying smiled embarrassedly and retracted her hand.

When I looked towards her again, I saw that the shells were almost piled up into a small hill.

Li Xiang didn't care and asked with a smile: "Are you not full?"

"Yeah." Feng Yingying nodded subconsciously, but then she felt something was wrong and quickly shook her head: "Yeah, yeah, yeah—"

"If you're not full, eat more." Li Xiang pushed the grilled fish back in front of her.

Feng Yingying's face lit up with joy, but she asked hesitantly, "Really?"

This Sichuan accent... was definitely taught to him by his father Feng Qing.

"Eat." Li Xiang smiled at her.

Now he finally understood why Feng Qing's family was so poor.

Half of the reason may be because Feng Qing likes to make new clothes, and the other half may be because his daughter has a big appetite.

You shouldn't be called Feng Yingying, you should be Feng Baobao...

When she was mumbling, she muttered subconsciously. Feng Yingying's ears were sharp, and she asked in confusion: "How did the prince know my nickname?"

Li Xiang: …

"I heard it from Feng Changshi." This was the only answer Li Xiang could give.

"Oh." Feng Yingying nodded and continued drinking porridge.

Li Shu, who was standing next to him, saw how familiar Li Xiang was with the girl, his eyes flickered twice, and he whispered a few words to Pei Xueqing.

Pei Xueqing just grunted and didn't look over here. She just drank her porridge.

After dinner, it was already afternoon.

Li Xiang sat beside the rockery in the Governor's Mansion, looking up at the sky while digesting his food.

Li Mingda was sitting not far from him, quietly looking at the music score on his lap.

"By the way, aunt." Li Xiang said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Li Mingda raised his head.

"When I had nothing to do some time ago, I composed a song and wanted to give it to you." Li Xiang said with a smile.

"Oh?" Li Mingda became interested, and suddenly looked at him, asking suspiciously, "You didn't get some fragments from your teacher again, and asked me to help you fix it, did you?"

"That's not the case." Li Xiang said, "It's the complete score."

"Hey, what's your name?" Li Mingda asked with interest.

"Well...'Auld Lang Syne'." Li Xiang said with a grin, authentic Scottish flirting... authentic Dengzhou bagpipes.

"Where's the music score? Let me see." Li Mingda stretched out his hand.

Li Xiang scratched his head: "I'm not around for the time being, but if Auntie wants to listen, I'll have someone play it."

"Okay." Li Mingda said with a smile.

The people of the Tang Dynasty were extremely tolerant of music. As the saying goes, music has no borders. The erhu, a popular modern folk instrument, was brought over from the Western Regions by the Hu people during the Tang Dynasty. As for the suona, which is played throughout one's life as "when a tune sounds and a cloth is spread, the whole village, young and old, waits for the food to be served", it was also introduced from the Western Regions to the Central Plains in the third century AD.

...Guess why it is called Erhu?
The "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat" was actually also introduced from the Western Regions, but was adapted by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang; and the "Qin Wang Po Zhen Music" also incorporates the tunes of Qiuci.

The Tang Dynasty was an era of tolerance and national integration that actively assimilated others. Whether it was people or music, the essence was taken and the dross was discarded.

Good music will not be restricted by time, just like people today can still appreciate ancient music.

In accordance with the principle of digestion after a meal, everyone gathered in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion, ready to appreciate Li Xiang's "masterpiece".

Oh yes, he also “invented” musical instruments.

The sound of the Scottish bagpipe is very distinctive, with rough and powerful pronunciation, loud timbre, and the use of various ornaments, which is suitable for expressing heroism.

Of course, now it’s the Dengzhou bagpipe.

In fact, it could have been called Henan Road Bagpipe, but Li Xiang felt that it had too many words, and Henan lost a traditional musical instrument, so Shandong won.

After the melodious song "Auld Lang Syne" was played, Li Chengqian still felt a little unsatisfied.

He had no resistance to this kind of exotic little song.

"Second uncle." Li Xiang looked at Li Tai and said.

"Hmm?" Li Tai twisted his body, which had become a little thinner.

"Please help my nephew write a lyrics." Li Xiang said with a smirk on his face.

"Well, sure." Li Tai did not refuse. He was very happy to be able to help Li Xiang.

I've been receiving so much dividends from the restaurant lately that my warehouse at home is full to the brim. Even if I don't think about anything else, I have to think about these dividends, right?

"Write something easy to understand, in plain language." Li Xiang said with a smile, "Try to make it understandable to the soldiers."

"You want me to write something easy to understand?!" Li Tai was furious. For an artistic young man like me, you want me to write... in vernacular Chinese? Who are you trying to criticize?
"Uncle, don't be angry. This is mainly for everyone to understand." Li Xiang explained: "If you write so elegantly, like the Book of Songs, who would understand it if you don't find someone to translate it?"

"Besides, this song is going to be sung all over the country. Don't you want people to say 'The King of Wei wrote this song really well' when they mention it?"

After hearing this, Li Tai was somewhat moved.

He groaned and said, "It's not impossible."

"Hey, I knew that my second uncle would definitely share my nephew's worries." Li Xiang quickly flattered him.

Li Tai snorted: "You kid... just this one song?"

Everyone present loved music, especially Li Zhi, who was one of the emperors who had composed music himself.

Although his level of governing the country was average, Li Zhi did have many artistic talents.

"For now, we've only got this one. We're still rehearsing the rest." Li Xiang said with a smile, "I'll definitely give Grandpa and the two uncles a surprise when the time comes."

"What about me?" Li Mingda's big eyes twinkled.

"Let my aunt be surprised too." Li Xiang said quickly.

After the show, because he had eaten too much in the afternoon and had not had dinner, Li Tai grabbed the bagpiper and listened to it repeatedly in the room many times, while listening and considering the words. If he was asked to fill in an elegant one, he could finish it quickly; but asking him to fill in these easy-to-understand ones... This is really difficult for him.

By the time it was almost 11 pm, Li Tai was feeling a little sleepy.

Those days were not like modern times, where there are so many entertainment activities. People either had computers to play with or mobile phones to play with. At worst, they could watch TV series. Generally speaking, people went to bed very early.

He yawned, asked the bagpiper to leave, picked up the half-written manuscript, and put it back in his arms with a frown.

While doing this, he was still muttering and cursing Li Xiang, "This brat really knows how to find things for me to do."

However, when he just walked to the door, he saw Yan Wan's pretty face.

"My beloved..." Li Tai suddenly felt something in his heart.

"Your Majesty, you bought so many oysters this afternoon. Did you feel..." Yan Wan said, and put her hand on Li Tai's stomach: "There is a fire burning in your stomach?"

"No." Li Tai answered simply.

"Humph, Master Sun has already certified it, how can it be fake?" Yan Wan snorted: "I think you are just making excuses and don't want to be with me!"

"No way! The world can bear witness to my feelings for my beloved concubine!" Li Tai quickly swore an oath.

"Really?" Yan Wan narrowed her eyes and looked at Li Tai suspiciously: "I think the big bastard must have a new lover."

"How is that possible!" Li Tai quickly defended.

"Really?" Yan Wan snorted, "Then come on, follow me into the house."

"No, my beloved, are you treating me like an animal?" Li Tai said with a sad face, "This... I ate too much this afternoon..."

"Don't wait for me to use force!" Yan Wan's eyes were filled with anger. "Elbow, come with me into the house."

"I...uh, I don't." Li Tai said and tried to run.

In the end, he didn't run away, and was pulled back into the house by Yan Wan.

When he woke up the next morning, Li Xiang looked at Li Tai, who was obviously a little depressed, and asked with concern: "Second Uncle, what's wrong with you?"

"Xiang'er, since you are still young, listen to my advice..." Li Tai said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Don't touch women!"

Li Xiang:?
What's going on? Is this?
"That won't work. I can live without women in my heart, but I can't live without women around me." Li Xiang answered truthfully.

Li Tai took a deep breath and pointed at Li Xiang, looking very disappointed: "Alas, when that day comes, you will regret it!"

Li Xiang was totally confused. What happened to his second uncle?

I'm afraid he's been controlled by Second Aunt?
Thinking of this, he walked to the door with the tea bowl in his hand, dipped a willow branch in salt, and began to clean his mouth.

If I don't brush my teeth, I always feel like something is missing.

There is no toothpaste these days, so things have to be so simple... It's time to invent a toothbrush, that thing is very simple.

It's just bristles, ugh...

After washing up, Li Xiang found Li Shu. While eating, they did not forget to talk about purchasing the sun-dried salt.

These days, the Japanese and Europe and the United States have not yet polluted the ocean, so the ocean is still very healthy. At least there is no need to worry about various industrial pollution and nuclear pollution.

Protecting the ocean is everyone's responsibility...

It is Li Xiang’s consistent principle not to leave problems to future generations. He firmly does not believe in the wisdom of future generations.

We must eradicate the hidden dangers for future generations!
"Xiang'er, how much do you think is a suitable price to buy this salt?" Li Shu asked while drinking porridge, looking at the snow-white salt in the pottery jar in front of him.

The price of salt during the Zhenguan period was not expensive, and one pound could be purchased for ten cents; and grain was even cheaper. From the fourth to the tenth year of Zhenguan, one dou of rice cost around four or five cents; and by the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, the price of grain was even cheaper, even reaching one dou and two cents.

By comparison, in September of the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty, there were bumper harvests in Jingxi, Jingdong, Hebei, Hedong, Jianghuai, Liangzhe, Jinghu, Fujian, Guangnan and other places. Official reports showed that the price of rice was seven to eight cents per dou, while the price of salt ranged from fifty to seventy cents.

Comparing with the price of grain as a reference, the price of salt in the Song Dynasty was still much more expensive than that in the Zhenguan period.

On the one hand, the purchasing power of copper coins during the Zhenguan period was strong. On the other hand, there was no salt and iron monopoly in the early Tang Dynasty, so the price of salt was relatively low.

Considering the price of salt, Li Xiang said, "The Governor's Office purchases salt from salt farmers at a unified price. After all, the salt produced by drying is much purer than the salt sold at ordinary times, and has fewer impurities. If it is sold, the price can be appropriately raised. In this way, it will not affect the price of crude salt on the market."

The cost of shipping is too high these days, so the farther you ship to, the more expensive it will be.

"You make sense." Li Su nodded slightly, stretched out his fingers to pick up some salt, looked at it carefully in front of him, then stretched out his pink little tongue and gently licked the fingertips.

"Well, it is indeed very pure." Li Su affirmed: "In this case, we can promote and sell it as a medium-to-high-quality salt. I believe that with the comparison, the people will also be willing to buy the salt from the caravan."

"Aunt, you decide. Just come up with some rules." Li Xiang nodded with a smile. He was confident that Li Su could do the job.

The salt washed out is only relatively clean, and the high-quality salt is still well salt.

But the price of well salt...

"In addition to salt, there are also salted fish." Li Xiang continued, "The navy has caught a lot of fish recently, and the first group of people who went out to sea should be back soon. We will make plans after they come back."

"Yeah." Li Shu didn't have much to say. After all, Li Xiang understood the affairs of Dengzhou, so he didn't say much.

"Xiang'er." Li Zhi next to him suddenly said.

"Well, Uncle Yao, what's wrong?" Li Xiang asked.

"What fun places are there in Dengzhou?" Li Zhi asked.

Li Xiang thought for a moment and said, "There is a beach next to Penglai. You can go there if you want to play, but don't go in the water."

"Why?" Li Zhi asked puzzledly.

"There are jellyfish in the water, and they can easily kill people if they sting." Li Xiang threatened him, "There are also big sharks, really big fish, tiger sharks, so big."

As he spoke, he gestured for a long time.

Then he continued to make up stories: "Sharks don't actually eat people, but they are quite curious and want to bite everything they see. Some time ago, a villager in Wendeng went to the sea and was bitten on the arm by a shark. His screams were so horrible that they could be heard within a hundred miles..."

Li Zhi thought about it for a moment and his face turned pale with fright.

He swallowed and said, "Since... if that's the case, then I won't go."

"Let's play at the beach and pick up some crabs to eat." Li Xiang said with a smile.

Li Zhi shook his head frantically.

But it was no use shaking his head. After a while, he was carried out by Li Chengqian and Li Tai, with an expression of despair on his face.

Li Xiang was actually overthinking it. Li Chengqian and his two brothers came to Dengzhou, on the one hand to see him, and on the other hand to relax.

Staying in Luoyang City was really too boring, and the farthest place Li Chengqian had ever been in his life was Luoyang. When had he ever been so far away?
The most urgent thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

However, what Li Xiang didn't know was that Li Shimin had sensed a different meaning in his letter.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)