193 Chapter 193
◎Contract and Sun Simiao.◎
The shop and the people were quickly decided. Because the shop was going to sell glass products, it was also accompanied by a workshop, but the workshop was not located in the city, but outside the city.
Running a shop in the capital requires a capable backstage, but Li Chengqian had arranged all of this in advance. Li Shimin informed the Jingzhao Yin and asked him to send someone to visit in a high-profile manner on the opening day.
Since he was asking for someone's protection, Li Chengqian had to give him some benefits, so he would give one-tenth of the monthly profit to Li Shimin.
When Li Shimin heard this, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Only 10%. What a stingy guy."
"Now the scale is small, and 10% is not much money. Wait until I become bigger and stronger..." Li Chengqian said as he left the job. When he became bigger and stronger, why would he still be the crown prince? It would be better to run away secretly with the money and travel around the world freely.
"What are you suddenly distracted about?" Li Shimin knocked on his forehead.
Li Chengqian's eyes turned, and he immediately became discouraged when he saw Tian Khan. In a feudal society, if you have no power and influence, you can't do business, and there is no point in living a free and easy life.
"Come, sign the contract." Li Chengqian took out a booklet.
Li Shimin asked in confusion, "What is a contract?"
He took it and was about to flip through it casually, but the more he read, the more serious he became. After reading it, he praised it, "It's well-organized, not bad, but..." He frowned, "The handwriting isn't very good. Cheng Qian needs more practice."
Li Shimin loved calligraphy very much, and he preferred Wang Xizhi. Li Shimin was particularly good at Feibai style. Led by him, the entire Zhenguan Dynasty put a lot of effort into calligraphy, of course including his children.
In his previous life, Li Chengqian practiced hard and his handwriting was indeed not bad, but he had not touched a brush in recent years. Not only did he not practice well in this life, he also tried his best to make his handwriting worse. Therefore, it was normal for everyone to be dissatisfied with Li Shimin's calligraphy.
"Practice, practice," Li Chengqian said casually. "If you think it's okay, please sign and stamp it."
Li Shimin was about to teach him a lesson when he heard the last sentence. He immediately forgot about practicing calligraphy. Tian Khan pointed at him and said, "You still want me to sign and seal it. Am I a criminal?"
"I have also signed and stamped it." Li Chengqian pointed to the last page, which was clearly signed with his name and stamped with the crown prince's seal.
Li Shimin: “…”
"You..." Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said, "You've even put the contract on me. This is truly lawless."
Li Chengqian handed him the brush: "Write it down in black and white, Father. This is the only way to ensure it."
Li Shimin paused and looked up at his eldest son standing in front of the desk. Cheng Qian had been frail and grew slowly since childhood. Compared with his peers, he was always shorter and looked younger than his actual age.
But his eyes always betray him. Li Chengqian is not what he appears to be. He is just an ignorant child with many things weighing on his mind.
No one else could know Li Chengqian's thoughts, including his father Li Shimin.
It’s me who makes Cheng Qian feel so insecure, Li Shimin thought.
Li Shimin lowered his head and signed his name, and stamped it with his private seal. When he took back the seal, he was suddenly stunned. No one in the world dared to let him write his own name, and the only one who dared to do so was him, the eldest son.
An insecure child should be cautious, but Cheng Qian, Li Shimin thought, was extremely bold.
It seemed that he was wrong again. Li Shimin sighed. Being an Aye was really difficult. Fortunately, the other children were not difficult to deal with. Only this eldest son required him to take more care of him. Otherwise, he would not have been so energetic.
Li Chengqian naturally didn't know about his complicated thoughts. After everything was done, he was ready to leave.
Li Shimin stopped the man and said, "Since you've given Aye a share of the profits, I'm considered one of the owners. You have to tell me what kind of glass items you plan to sell."
Li Chengqian corrected him, "Even if you're just a shareholder, there's only one boss, and that's me, Li Chengqian."
Li Shimin didn't understand the unfamiliar words, but he understood the meaning. He couldn't help but laugh: "The division is clear. Okay, you are the boss, only you are the boss, and everything you have is given to you by me."
Li Chengqian paused. It was a joke, but it was indeed a portrayal of his life.
"I plan to train a group of craftsmen first, and then start production once they've practiced and become proficient," Li Chengqian said. "As for the finished products, they'll be small items like mirrors, fish tanks, and cups, as well as glass that can be installed on doors and windows. Handicrafts are also possible, but they're more difficult to make, so the price will be many times higher."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows and said, "Doors and windows? The glass is transparent. If it is installed on the window, then everyone can peek in, right?"
Li Chengqian said, "You can install curtains."
"What are curtains?" Li Shimin asked.
Li Chengqian said, "You can think of it as a curtain. It's all for shielding. When the glass is ready, I'll replace it for my mother first. It will make the room brighter, and it will be better for her eyes when she handles palace affairs and reads account books."
Hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but cough lightly. Mother looks at the account book, and father also has to look at the memorial.
Li Chengqian had already come to the end of his speech: "That's it for now, I'm done."
Li Shimin: “…”
"...Okay." Li Shimin smiled without any reluctance. "I'll have someone keep an eye on the workshop. After all, I'm getting a share of the profits, so I have to ensure that the glass craftsmanship isn't peeped at."
Being able to make glass and being able to make a telescope are two different things, but considering that it would be too troublesome to explain, Li Chengqian simply said, "Okay."
After discovering that it was impossible for him to break Tian Khan's Five Finger Mountain, Li Chengqian was not very dejected. After all, for him, this was the discovery of a fact that had existed for a long time.
Unable to escape, he would do what he could within the scope of his freedom, and then slowly expand the scope.
…
In February, Li Chengqian's shop opened. The novel and fragile transparent glass quickly attracted the attention of people all over the capital. Mirrors and fish tanks were snatched up, cups, plates and tea sets also sold very well, and handicrafts were even sold at high prices. Because he had the protection of the Jingzhao Yin, few people came to cause trouble.
It was also in this month that Sun Simiao came to the capital. He was invited by Li Shimin's men.
Li Chengqian was the first to see him. Sun Simiao was carrying the medical book he had distributed earlier. After exchanging pleasantries, he asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, if you know the author of this medical book? I am worthless in front of him. I would like to ask Your Highness to recommend someone to me."
Li Chengqian smiled and said, "This book was not written by one person. It was written by standing on the shoulders of giants."
Sun Simiao hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, do you mean that this is merely a medical book summarizing the medical skills of our predecessors?"
Sun Simiao was a miraculous doctor who lived to such an old age that he could have read all the medical books available. However, this book contained medical prescriptions that he had never seen before but were proven to be useful.
Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Sir, I can't introduce this gentleman to you, but you are a great doctor of our time. I believe this medical book will be of the greatest use in your hands."
Sun Simiao bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, thank you for your praise."
Sun Simiao secretly guessed that the medical book was distributed throughout the world by the emperor and he was invited by the emperor, but from the prince's tone, it seemed that the medical book was closely related to the prince.
It seems that if I want to get to know that miraculous doctor, I have to start with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Li Chengqian added, "Sir, you've traveled all this way, you must be very tired. Please rest for a few days before you can see my mother."
Although he was indeed anxious to have Sun Simiao treat his mother immediately, he could not eat hot tofu in a hurry. Li Chengqian knew that his mother's illness depended entirely on this miracle doctor, so he did not dare to neglect it.
Sun Simiao bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
When the emperor summoned him, Li Chengqian accompanied Sun Simiao to meet the emperor and comforted him: "Sir, the saint has a good temper, don't be nervous."
Sun Simiao was old enough to be Li Chengqian's grandfather, so he found this somewhat amusing. However, he did not dare to laugh in front of the Crown Prince, so he could only politely say, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Li Shimin's attitude towards Sun Simiao would naturally be even better. Li Chengqian expected him to cure his mother, and Li Shimin expected him to cure his wife and eldest son. Sun Simiao did not know that he had such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Fortunately, Sun Simiao was invited to Chang'an by the emperor and had already made sufficient mental preparations. After hearing that the queen and the prince were his patients, his expression only changed for a moment and then returned to normal.
Li Shimin also asked Sun Simiao to rest for two days before summoning him to the palace for a medical consultation. Sun Simiao declined the emperor's kindness and said that he could diagnose the prince's pulse at this moment.
Li Shimin was naturally impatient. After a few words between the two sides, he said, "In that case, I will trouble you, sir. Please come in."
Li Chengqian never expected that the first patient Sun Simiao wanted to see when he arrived in Beijing would be him. When the eunuch rolled up his sleeves, he was a little confused: "I'm not sick..."
Sun Simiao said in a gentle voice, "There's nothing wrong with it. It won't hurt to check your pulse."
Chinese medicine emphasizes observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation. Sun Simiao did not take Li Chengqian's pulse immediately. He first looked at Li Chengqian's face, asked about his daily diet and daily routine, and chatted with him for a few words before starting to take his pulse.
After taking the pulse of both hands in turn, Li Chengqian smoothed his sleeves. Sun Simiao frowned and asked in confusion, "Your Highness is still young. How can you have such a heavy heart that it is so pent up?"
"Mr. Sun, what medicine do you think the prince should use?" Li Shimin asked hurriedly.
Sun Simiao bowed and said, "Your Highness is weak and needs to be nursed back to health. However, the illness in your heart cannot be cured by medicine."
Li Chengqian stood up and said, "Thank you, sir. Your guidance is excellent. I do have something on my mind, but it's insignificant." He turned to Tian Khan and said, "This has nothing to do with Mr. Sun. Please don't make things difficult for him, sir."
Li Shimin's face didn't look good, but he still said, "Of course, please prescribe the prescription first, Mr. Sun."
"Mr. Sun, I'll have to trouble you again tomorrow for Mother's matter," Li Chengqian said again.
Sun Simiao bowed and said, "As you wish."
The young prince was rich and noble, with fine clothes and delicious food. Sun Simiao thought, what worries could he have that he couldn't let go of or solve?
These were not things he should be curious about, but everyone is curious, so he just thought about them.
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