In the second year of Linde (665 AD), the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, two minutes later.

The vast Fengshan team, the Emperor Yulu arrived in Qizhou and was stationed in the south of Changqing County, namely Changqing District, Jinan City. It was about 60 kilometers away from the foot of Mount Tai, which was half a month ahead of the original plan. Li Zhilong was very happy and rewarded ten pieces of cloth in Wukang. At the same time, the command was issued, and the team rested for ten days.

This long-distance trip lasted a month and a half from Henan to Shandong. During this period, many episodes are still fresh in memory and are particularly interesting. First, in Jiaozuo City, I met the cruel official Zhou Xing and gave him a little tip. I stocked up a lot of food around Qianfeng Quanbao and formulated evil plans.

In Hua County, Huazhou, she accompanied Queen Wu to visit Sister Li Jiyuan. She lived in 30 years of widowhood and lived in Li Ji's former house. She was in good health. She was given 30 pieces of brocade, 33 hu of corn, and various clothes and jewelry, and was granted the title of the Duke of Dongping.

This is a great honor, and the first lady's condolences are enough for her to brag for the rest of her life. This title of imperial decree is also an exception. According to the law, the mother and wife of a fourth-rank official can get this title. She gained the glory of Li Ji because she was deposed by Wang Liwu and Li Ji turned the tide. Mei Niang was grateful for her kindness and never treated her benefactor unfairly.

On November 20, the team arrived in Puyang, the later Puyang City. The five prime ministers of the dynasty and the General of the Sixteen Guards were guarding behind Yulu. Li Zhi had a whim and asked the left prime minister Dou Dexuan: What was the reason why Puyang was called Diqiu in ancient times?

This question is a bit biased. De Xuan thought hard and said that he could not answer it. When Xu Jingzong heard it, he volunteered to answer: The third Emperor Xuan Emperor Zhuanxu in the ancient Yellow Emperor was once living here, so he was called Emperor Qiu.

He is indeed knowledgeable and talented. Only he can answer so many scholars, and it seems to make sense. Li Zhi was in a good mood and also praised him for ten pieces of cloth and pretended to praise him.

Jingzong was complacent and mocked him sarcastically: As a noble minister, he could not be without knowledge. When I saw that he could not answer, I felt ashamed of him.

It is a bit too much to belittle others and raise yourself. Dexuan was provoked and said without being arrogant or impatient: There are shortcomings in the ruler, strengths in the inch, and people have what they can and cannot. I don’t know anything, and I won’t pretend to know what I don’t know. This is my integrity and my cultivation.

The swearing without swearing, Jingzong was angry and prepared to confront each other. Seeing that the situation was expanding, Li Ji was a peacemaker and kindly advised: It is indeed rare for young masters to learn five cars; the left minister is seeking truth from facts, and he is also a role model for us.

This is beautiful, and everyone flatters the people, and the storm is gone. Li Zhi is very happy and rewards Dexuan ten pieces of cloth and 20 pieces of Li Ji. Wu Kang is convinced and wants to learn from Li Ji. He is in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty. Popularity is wealth.

Passing by Shouzhang (Dongping County, Shandong Province), Shouzhang native Zhang Gongyi, who had nine generations of family living together, became a local talk. Northern Qi and Sui Dynasty, including the Tang Dynasty, all praised the Zhang family. Since they happened to pass by, Li Zhi visited and asked about the secrets of being a part-time member.

The old god of public art is here, and he writes the secret with ninety-nine words. Li Zhi was amused and felt it made sense, and he also praised him for ten pieces of cloth. Wu Kang deeply agrees with it. If you want a harmonious family, you must learn to be confused and not be petty. The highest level of being a human being, pretend to be confused and live a trivial life.

At noon on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Ji suffered retribution, fell off his horse's back, and suffered a minor injury to his right ankle. He was very unlucky this year. His eldest son Li Zhen died in Zizhou, and the white-haired man sent a black-haired man. Now he fell off his horse again, Li Zhi went to visit him and asked about his well-being. He also gave his horse to him.

Li Jilao was crying and knelt on the ground to thank him. Two special actors performed a friendship between the king and the minister. When Li Zhi left, Wu Kang took the gift and visited the house. He handed the letter to the doorman. About half a quarter of an hour later, the family members welcomed him out.

Li Bi, the governor of Jinzhou, is the younger brother of Li Ji; Li Siwen, the governor of Runzhou, is the second son of Li Ji; Li Jingye, the eldest grandson of Li Ji; Li Jingyou, the magistrate of Yu, Yu County, and Li Ji; Li Ji's second son-in-law; Du Huaigong, the second son-in-law of Li Ji.

The two sides greeted each other and gave him a lot of face, but Li Jingye's eyes were full of hatred. Wu Kang didn't care. I cheated you at the beginning and blamed you for being useless. Why should you hold a grudge? I was in the mood to pay attention to him, so Li Siwen led the way to the bedroom in the backyard.

When they found that Jingzong was also there, they greeted each other and confirmed that Li Ji was not in trouble. The three of them sat in the same table. They burned the furnace and brewed a pot of good tea. The three of them said nonsense. Jingzong was responsible for the funny actor, Wu Kang was responsible for the supporting actor, and Li Ji was guest-starred as an audience member.

After drinking two pots of tea, Li Ji cleared the room and ordered Siwen to guard the door. His eyes were of a different meaning, and he twisted his long beard and said, "Yesterday, Huai Gong asked me to borrow 300 guan copper coins and said that he would give it to Bianzhi to do something. Three hundred guan copper coins are not small quantities, what is the best deal?"

Jingzong laughed and said, "Yan Bo is the same. He needs 800 guan to speak, and he has to hand it over to change. Money is not a problem, and I believe in changing it, but as an elder, you must always know the root of the bottom line. What a big deal, can't you eat alone with the change of family background?"

If you don’t like to eat alone, you will be struck by lightning. Wu Kang shook his head: "I’ve been bored recently. I heard from Liang Xiaoren that the harvest for four consecutive years has been low, resulting in low prices of grain, only 5 cents of rice for a bucket of rice, and even more cheap beans. The guards of Dongyang Prefecture said that the rice in Jiangsu and Zhejiang District is only 4 cents of rice for each bucket."

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and the two looked strange. Jingzong spoke to test: "The merchants hoarded food, mostly during famines and wars, so they set aside prices. My uncle was ignorant, and it was the first time I heard that in the year of the prosperous year, I would have to transport food from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the Grand Canal, and then I would have lost all my money."

Wu Kang did not respond and looked at Jingzong with a smile: "Yesterday, Uncle Xu said that the Fengshan Mountains ended, and the saints would change the reign of Qianfeng. The Qianfengquanbao will be cast, and the world will be issued next year. The old money will be invalidated after the deadline. I also received news that the new money will be used as five. Is there any such thing?"

The two old foxes looked at each other and quickly confirmed their eyes. Li Ji smiled but said nothing. Jingzong talked endlessly. There was something like this. The specifications had been determined and the size was slightly larger. The sage clearly stated that it was not for one to five, but for one to ten. Yesterday, the edict was issued, ordering the Seiyuan Office to cast new coins to cast new coins. After the Fengshan Mountains, reserves were immediately cast, and it is expected to be officially put into use in April next year. The new money Qianfengquanbao, the old money Kaiyuan Tongbao, exchanged for ten coins.

After the new money is issued, the saints will issue edicts to collect old money and cast new money. The court issued a government order to force the people to exchange and force the promotion of new money. The exchange period is one year. If this period exceeds, all old money will be invalidated.

This is a secret of the court. Five people are publicly traded. If you can get the news, the queen must reveal it. After Xu Jingzong finished speaking, the old god was tasting tea. Li Ji continued: "The court issued new money and became a hoard of food. What is the relationship between the two? We are not outsiders. Please tell me clearly, let's listen carefully."

He actually called him the title, indicating that he was serious. Wu Kang was very satisfied and whispered mysteriously: "The weight of the new money is only twice as big as the old money, but its value is ten times. Originally, a donkey could be exchanged for a thousand kilograms of copper coins, but now it is only exchanged for two hundred. People are not fools. How do they deal with the two uncles?"

The room was silent and the two fell into deep thought. Wu Kang sipped tea, tapped his fingers on the table, and played the music at will. Li Jiu decided to mint money, first to commemorate Fengshan, and secondly to alleviate the money shortage. The so-called money shortage was also a financial crisis, which was triggered by the relatively insufficient currency in circulation.

The Tang Dynasty was the copper-based, and due to the constraints of technology, there was insufficient mining of copper mines. In order to alleviate the shortage of money, the official mixed a small amount of other things when minting coins to take advantage of the situation. But the same thing still happened, the people were not stupid, and the merchants were smarter.

Their privately cast copper coins is better than the official, which aggravates the government's money shortage. The government cracked down on it severely. The Tang Dynasty's law stipulated that it was a punishment for the death penalty, and at the same time, the household was lost. However, it was useless. Driven by huge profits, privately casting increased instead of reducing it.

Li Zhi set out another way, preparing to win by quality, and relying on exquisite casting to cover up the essence of copper coins. According to Mei Niang, the court wanted to cast new coins into works of art. It can be said that it was unique and had the shadow of paper money, but unfortunately it was useless and the people did not recognize it.

As a result, it can be predicted that there will be two ways for the people to deal with it. Either they will not recognize new money, form various black markets, and continue to circulate old money. Or prices will rise. If you want to make ten, I will increase the price by ten times, or even more.

At that time, the new money depreciates, causing inflation and the market will be absolutely in chaos. Wukang hoards grain, which means taking the opportunity to make money, buying for every five cents, and selling for ten times the price. Excluding transportation and warehousing, at least six times the profit. If there is such a profit, it will definitely scare people.

At the same time, he also firmly believed that the lifespan of the new Qianfengquanbao would definitely not be long. Because in his previous life, a Qianfengquanbao was worth more than 2,000 yuan, which was a valuable ancient coins. Scarcity is precious, but only rare in history and collection value is high.

Thinking all night, he wrote a script of fate for Qianfeng Quanbao: After the issuance of new coins, it caused inflation and market chaos. The court responded urgently, announced the abolition of new coins and ordered the circulation of old coins. At the same time, the new coins were recycled and the old coins were recast and recasted.

Only this reason will lead to the rare treasures of Qianfengquan in later generations. The idea of ​​making money by hoarding grain: wait for inflation, and then sell grain publicly. Regardless of new and old money, you can buy grain from here.

Due to the government regulations, the overdue revocation of old money will inevitably lead to panic. People’s first choice to deal with panic is to buy grain, even if the price increases several times. At that time, collect old money, temporarily deposit it in the treasury, and wait for the order to reuse the old money.

New money is better handled, and when the edict is issued, you can go to the yamen to exchange for old money. You can also sell the grain at a slightly lower market price, and you will gain a good reputation. In this way, both fame and fortune can be achieved, as long as you are not a fool, you can make a choice.

After a while, Jingzong slowly looked up and said, "Yan Bo is very capable, but unfortunately he is still young, so it is really hard to rest assured. If you change your trust, this plan of hoarding grain will be handed over to my uncle to handle it to ensure that you live up to your entrusted responsibility."

The old guy was shameless, Wu Kang sneered and immediately said: "I am really interested in business matters. I have a lot of business in my family, and I am dealt with by money. My uncle's actions should be extraordinary, but Wu Kang can't ask for it."

Li Ji couldn't help but despise him and said seriously: "If new money is issued, it will inevitably cause chaos. Since the change is clear, you should submit a memorial to advise. If the sage accepts advice, the court will be free from losses and the people will be free from panic, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?"

Wu Kang is too lazy to talk nonsense. You take off your pants and fart, and deliberately disgusting him. Li Zhi does everything he wants to suppress me. If I go to submit a memorial, it will definitely be counterproductive. I am just a military officer, and I cannot interfere in political affairs, so I can make a fortune in silence.

Let’s take a step back and be loyal to the court and ask for the people, loyal ministers are the ones who are here. Everyone, including me, is a treacherous minister. If the new money is not issued, how can we speculate? If you are loyal to the emperor and the country, you can choose to submit a memorial, and it doesn’t matter.

The scene was a bit strange, and Xu Jingzong couldn't help laughing, first of all, as if it was a signal, which led to the other two, and the laughter became more relaxed. After this matter was confirmed, three top treacherous ministers formed an evil alliance and dug up the corners of the court together.

After finishing the business happily, the three of them lowered their voices and made speculative plans. Since they were sure to do it, they should do the best and make a fortune. First select partners and attract more people to participate. After all, the food business requires too much capital.

The old fox discussed, his eyes shining golden light, and the atmosphere was in full swing. Wu Kang kept silent, you were rich and powerful, so you can do it. My family is too weak, and my wife only approved 4,000 guan, and I didn’t want to make money. It was this opportunity to win over common officials and weaving party members for Mei Niang.

The plan was quickly formulated, Wu Kang got the task and Rado Dexuan joined the gang. He bought rice from Jiangsu and Zhejiang and transported the Grand Canal in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and would deal with the Ministry of Revenue. He was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. If he was brought into the gang, he would definitely be much more convenient if he had common interests.

Jingzong was not in harmony with him, and Li Ji was inconvenient in his legs and feet, so he had to hand it over to Wu Kang. Unfortunately, the plan could not keep up with the changes and had already declared a miscarriage before taking action. As soon as he returned home, Li Dezheng came and made a book with disgusting books. Li Zhi ordered Wu Kang to go to the Taishan construction site and inspect the Fengshan altar. There was no time to win over Dou Dexuan and throw it to Jingzong again. Put down your old face and repair the relationship. Do you still have a bad mouth?

At the 12th day, he took Zuo Yulin from Lingyandun (southeast of Changqing County, Shandong Province) and rushed to Mount Tai. He arrived two days later and was in no mood to visit. He found Si Jiaqing Liang Xiaoren and Sili officials to inspect the various altars.

Four miles south of Mount Tai, a circular altar was built. There are three floors above and below, each floor has four steps. The center is decorated with blue, the east is decorated with blue, the south is decorated with red, the west is decorated with white, and the north is decorated with black. There are high platforms on it, three low walls around it, three sacrificial scripts, and jade slips are connected by gold ropes.

All kinds of strange decorations are carried out according to etiquette and law, and the items are too complicated. Wu Kang secretly complained that there are no gods, they are all feudal superstitions. It is really boring to waste a lot of money and make people live in poverty just to satisfy their vanity.

After checking the southern altar, climbing to the top of Mount Tai, checking the altar of Dengfeng. The one used to worship the gods is also a giant, paving the way layer by layer. The uppermost layer is about five zhang in diameter and nine feet high. It is also decorated with blue color, and each side is square.

Meticulously checked, confirmed that there were no mistakes, and hurriedly left Mount Tai. In the southwest, a square altar was built, which was used to worship the earth gods, and it was called the Jiangchan altar. Sacrifice to the heavenly gods is called Feng, and sacrifice to the earth gods is called Zen, and the combination is Fengchan.

In the previous Fengshan ceremony, Fengshan was on the top of Mount Tai, and the location of Zen was different. During Qin Shihuang's Fengshan, Zen was on Liangfu Mountain; during Emperor Wu of Han's Fengshan, Zen was on Suran Mountain. Li Zhi chose Sheshou Mountain, but he didn't know what the reason was.

After reading all the altars, he made sure there were no mistakes and kept his mind in his stomach. After Zuo Yulin's military camp, Wu Kang removed his armor and changed into a purple official robe. He prepared a few drinks. Shi Qing entered the account and passed by a message: "After I received the news, Mr. Liu invited Mr. Chu to drink in his account."

Liu Gong was Liu Xiangdao. Last year, he was appointed as prime minister. He was implicated by Shangguan Yi and was moved to the Minister of Rites. He heard Mei Niang say that he had nothing to do with the Xue group. Therefore, Wu Kang did not feel disgusted with him, but instead felt a little ashamed.

Xiangdao has a soft personality and does not conflict with others. He is polite in everything and is quite cautious. In fact, he cannot be blamed. His younger brother Liu Yingdao, who married his wife, County Lord Wenxi, is the daughter of Li Jiancheng. This is the reason that one must be careful when he is a human being. If he makes a big mistake, it will be a disaster for the family to be destroyed.

Wu Kang left the barracks, carried a wine bag in his hand, and followed the servants of the Liu family to the Xiangdao tent. He bowed and smiled and kept his posture to the lowest point: "I haven't seen you for more than half a month, and Liu Gong is in good spirits. I think you have lived for at least thirty years."

Xiangdao stood up to greet him, and suddenly coughed violently, and the picture was quite awkward. After finally stopping the cough, he pulled Wu Kang to sit down with a kind and kind smile: "I have been infected with the cold recently, which makes people laugh. I am seventy years old this year, and I dare not hope to be a hundred years old, and I don't have that luck."

Wu Kang did not respond, pulled open the wine bag, filled himself with a cup, and poured him half a cup: "Since we are not feeling well, it's better for us to drink less. In fact, I have always wanted to visit Mr. Liu, but you are busy with official business and I'm embarrassed to disturb you."

These are all polite words. Xiangdao didn't care, so he raised his glass to invite him to drink together. The two put down the wine glass, Wu Kang poured the wine again, Xiangdao waved his hand to stop him: "Everyone is old, everything is difficult, and when the Fengshan ends, he will beg for bones. It's time to take a rest after he has been busy all his life."

Wu Kang smiled but didn't say anything. This man was really cautious. He was especially prime minister and was trembling all day long. He heard Mei Niang say that from the previous year to this year, he had submitted at least six times to ask for retirement and was idle. Li Zhi loved his talent very much, and kept his writings and did not post them, and even talked to him.

After a short period of silence, Xiangdao said to himself: "I have been feeling more and more tired recently. I don't want to get up in the morning. I eat less and less, and I often feel dizzy and I'm afraid I'll be in the near future. I've lived enough, but I'm just worried that Jing Xian is too rude. He will be in trouble in the future."

His son Liu Jingxian is now the Censor, responsible for picking up all officials. He is indeed upright in character, and the old ox's temper. Wu Kang replied politely: "Whether the Censor's responsibilities are lies, it is inevitable that he will offend people. Mr. Liu doesn't have to worry. The sage admires him very much and will protect him. I respect him, and if possible, I want to date and work together."

After hearing these words, Xiangdao smiled sincerely and finally achieved his goal. He picked up the wine bag on the table, filled two wine glasses, and invited him to drink together again. He raised his glass and drank it all, and said in silence for a long time: "Remember this in mind, Chu and Wei cannot eat together."

Wu Kang's pupils tightened, and he looked at the old man in front of him, his eyebrows were clumps. He drank three cups by himself, and his attitude was abnormal: "I dare not hide it from Mr. Liu. When Mr. Yan was dying, he left me a book. These six words were also the same. I really couldn't guess thoroughly, so I would like to ask Mr. Liu to speak clearly."

Xiangdao was quite shocked and finally shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It seems that Duke Yan did not hate you, he is a sensible person. But change, he did not say it clearly, and I can't say it. You must keep it in mind and always beware of yourself. There is only so much that I can help you."

The tent was silent and the atmosphere was terrifying. Wu Kang stretched his eyebrows at some point. Since he didn't want to say it, I should not ask more questions. Just keep it in mind. The two prime ministers mentioned it, and they must have seen something I didn't expect.

He filled the wine glass again, poured the wine on the ground, and promised with confidence: "If Jing fell into trouble first, I will do my best to help him survive the sadness. If he doesn't believe in his words, it will be like this glass of wine that can never be recycled."

Xiangdao smiled soothed, shook his head and said lightly: "I am relieved to change and sprinkle wine and swore. I can't explain too much about what I said just now. It may be possible to confiscate the family and destroy the clan. You can understand it yourself, everything depends on fate..."
Chapter completed!