361, testing each other
361, testing each other
In mid-September, when the first batch of vegetables they planted were ready to be harvested, Lu Mingfei personally brought all the people from the yamen to collect the vegetables.
Seeing their master picking vegetables in the field, the master followed behind with a nervous look on his face, "Master, why don't you go up? Be careful that the soil here will dirty your shoes."
"It's just a pair of shoes. If they are dirty, just wash them. It's not something that can't be dirty. Are you afraid that your shoes will get dirty?" Lu Mingfei glanced at the master who was following him and chattering, glanced at the shoes on the master's feet, and asked.
"No, no, little one..."
"Okay, stop talking and go help pick the vegetables."
Lu Mingfei stopped the master from persuading him with just a look and drove the man away.
The guards following behind their masters saw their masters working in the fields. They just exchanged glances with each other and no one came forward to persuade their masters to leave.
Fu Zheng, Wang Wang and a few others also followed their adults to pick vegetables today. Although they had been to the suburbs to pick vegetables before, this was the first time they had worked in the fields.
Seeing their masters picking vegetables so enthusiastically in front, several high-ranking officials who had retired from the court looked at each other.
Fu Zheng said with a smile: "Our Lord Lu is truly a remarkable man."
"Well, it is indeed... somewhat different." Wang Wang nodded and looked at the vegetables he had picked. "You know what, our vegetables look really good."
Even though they had never been to the fields or done any work before, they could see that the vegetables in the field were growing very well.
"Our Lord Lu comes to inspect eight times a day, how can it not be good?" Fu Zheng knew that their Lord Lu had put a lot of thought into the vegetables in this field. Some of the vegetable growing methods that he had never heard of were also heard from their Lord Lu.
On this day, many people came to the fields to pick vegetables, and the picked vegetables were immediately sent to the workshop for secondary processing.
Before long, these processed vegetables were put on sale in newly opened shops in the city.
In addition to dried vegetables, there are also various pickled vegetables.
The variety of flavors has broadened the horizons of the people of Li County. It was the first time for many of them to know that pickled vegetables can have so many flavors and are so delicious!
Moreover, the prices of pickled vegetables and dried vegetables sold in the store are not high, and even ordinary people can afford to buy them and eat them at home.
This shop was opened by Lu Mingfei in the name of the government office, which means it is a public shop. The money earned will be used for the construction of Li County in the future and will not belong to any individual.
This price is set with the lowest profit after deducting costs.
Regarding this, he even issued a notice to inform the people of the entire city and all the people in the villages below. Although the products were produced and sold by themselves, they also had to inform everyone where the profits would be used in the future.
He had used his power to gather the labor of many people and had already paid them. Logically, he should have claimed all the output and income as his own, and no one would have dared to say anything.
However, Lu Mingfei did not do so. He wanted to create some industries for the people of this city. Even if he was no longer an official here, there would still be industries to support him, and the people could also have an extra income.
Of course, the premise is that the officials who succeed him are not greedy for such things. Otherwise, the trees he planted before him will only benefit the officials who come after him.
In the following period of time, whenever he had time, he would go out of the city to take a look. In addition to looking at the vegetables in the fields, he would also visit the brick kilns and supervise the progress of the construction of the city wall.
During this period, Lu Mingfei did not forget to do one thing, which was to ask Fu Zheng and Wang Wang to conduct a census of the population of the entire Li County and the villages under it.
In addition to counting the population, the focus of this census is also to check whether there are cases of human trafficking and forced selling.
Knowing that the brothels in the city were hotbeds of human trafficking, he simply closed these places, arrested the ringleaders, and then investigated the identities and origins of the girls in the building.
If you don't check, you won't know. Once you check, you will find out that there are many girls who were abducted and sold. After these girls were restored to good status, he also arranged for them to work in textile workshops.
It was so busy that half a month passed.
At the end of September, after seeing his adoptive father off, it was already October.
It was not until the first snow fell in October in the north that he received the first letter sent by Zhao Lang.
"Sir, the prince has sent a letter."
"Give it to me."
Lu Mingfei reached out to take the letter, and after the person left, he opened it and read it.
After translating the letter by referring to the book, he read it again from beginning to end. In the letter, Zhao Lang told him some of the situation in Kyoto Prefecture and the emperor's plans.
His eyes fell on the last sentence: I miss you, do you miss me?
"How could I not miss you? I think of you even in my dreams." Touching the letter Zhao Lang wrote to him, Lu Mingfei remembered the expression on that person's face when he wrote to him and said he missed him, and he couldn't help but laugh.
After putting down the letter in his hand, the smile on his face suddenly fell, and he was more worried about the person who was thousands of miles away.
***
At this time, Zhao Lang, following the emperor's order, brought people to Prince Yu's fiefdom.
On the second day after arriving here, he accepted his uncle's invitation and they met at a brothel in the city. His cousin, who had studied with him in Kyoto, also came along to keep him company.
As a member of the Zhao family, Prince Yu even called Zhao Lang his nephew. He and Prince Ding were cousins and had met several times in Kyoto before, but their relationship was not very close.
Now that he saw his nephew coming, although he was not sure about the purpose of his nephew coming to his fiefdom, he still treated his nephew with the demeanor of an elder.
"Uncle, I haven't seen your father for a long time. How is your father's health recently?" Prince Yu asked his cousin whom he hadn't seen for many years with concern.
"Thank you for your concern, uncle. My father is in good health." Zhao Lang sat here steadily, not touching the women sitting on his left and right.
He stretched out his hand to block the wine glass that the woman handed to his mouth. He picked up the wine glass in front of him and turned it around in his hand, but did not drink the wine in the glass.
When Prince Yu saw his nephew's actions, he knew that he was a very defensive person. He didn't take it too seriously and continued, "I haven't seen him for many years."
"If I weren't trapped here, I would like to get together with your father and have a good drink." After saying the last sentence, he sighed heavily.
While Prince Yu was saying these words, he was observing the expression on his nephew's face, trying to see what his nephew thought about the court.
But he was destined to be disappointed.
Because Zhao Lang had a calm expression on his face at this time, without any expression at all, let alone empathy for what his uncle said.
Zhao Lang knew very well that his uncle wanted to use such words to arouse his dissatisfaction with the court and then persuade his father to return.
"There will be a chance." He looked at his uncle with a calculating look on his face and said lightly.
"Haha, I hope so." Prince Yu laughed heartily, glanced at his legitimate son sitting beside him, and said, "I heard from Qing'er that you took good care of your brother when you were in Kyoto Prefecture."
"Here, uncle offers you a toast."
"I dare not. Consider it as a nephew toasting you, uncle." Zhao Lang raised the wine glass to Prince Yu and his cousin, and covered the glass with his sleeve.
He poured the wine into his sleeves without drinking it.
That night, the uncle and nephew were testing and guarding against each other.
Finally, Prince Yu, under the pretense of being "drunk," deliberately brought up some past events. "Uncle, I'm not afraid to tell you that your father was the most qualified to inherit the throne. It's a pity that the late emperor...used some tricks to snatch the throne away."
"And they forced your father to go to a harsh place like Beijun to guard the border..."
"Father, you are drunk." Seeing his father start to talk "drunk words", Zhao Qing quickly stood up and supported his father.
The father and son exchanged a look. Prince Yu pushed his son away and took his nephew aside to talk a lot.
"Uncle is drunk, you can take him home first." Zhao Lang handed his uncle's hand to his cousin.
"Okay, I'll send my father back first, and I'll come to find you tomorrow." Zhao Qing helped his father up and left, and then instructed his servants to send his cousin back to his residence for him.
The father and son left first.
After Zhao Lang watched Prince Yu and his son leave, he also left the brothel.
However, as soon as he returned to his residence, two sedan chairs were carried to the door of his residence.
"Prince, Prince Yu sent two girls here." When Li Qun came in to report to their prince, he carefully observed the prince's expression.
Zhao Lang chuckled and said, "Let them carry it back."
"...All the sedan bearers ran away, leaving only two sedans and two girls at the door." Li Qun replied.
This time Zhao Lang didn't say anything, but just glanced at his subordinates.
"Yes, I will find someone to carry the two girls to the gate of Prince Yu's Mansion." As soon as Li Qun met the eyes of their prince, he quickly turned around and left.
At this time, Zhao Lang had just come out of the bath, wearing a white underwear. He didn't even fasten his belt properly, so he sat on the couch with his collar open, playing with a jade pendant in his hand.
He bought this jade pendant as a pair when he was in Kyoto Prefecture.
He remembered that when Lord Lu learned that he had spent so much money on two jade pendants, he scolded him. At that time, he didn't understand, thinking that it was only a few hundred taels of silver, so what was the big deal if it bought a piece of happiness?
But now, he realized that a few hundred taels of silver was really a lot of money... Author's words:
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