The first Taoist priest of the Tang Dynasty

"Zhong Shaobao, since you've said that, then I, Old Cheng, can just say it straight. The Holy One sent me here, of course, because Zhong Shaobao has the method of making salt. Zhong Shaobao also knows that there is a shortage of salt everywhere in Tang Dynasty. After the Holy Majesty heard that Zhong Shaobao was able to make refined salt, he decided to send me, Cheng, to assist me, so that Zhong Shaobao could seek more blessings for the people of Tang Kingdom.” Cheng Yaojin knew that Zhong Wen was a straightforward person, and he also agreed. No more gags.

"Let's just say the Holy Majesty's will, and don't give me any hats." Zhong Wen didn't like to hear these high-sounding words the most.

"Okay, I'll just say it straight, old Cheng. The Holy Majesty's will is to hope that Zhong Shaobao can contribute the method of making salt to the people of the Tang Kingdom, and I brought thousands of soldiers here. First, I came here for the sake of the salt land. Secondly, it is also shocking some young people, Zhong Shaobao, please be considerate of the people of the world." After Cheng Yaojin finished speaking, he directly saluted Zhong Wen.

Zhong Wen saw that Cheng Yaojin spoke powerfully, as if a good official was begging Zhong Wen to benefit the people of the world.

However, Zhong Wen always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong for a while.

At this time, Li Daliang was also shocked by Cheng Yaojin's words.

He also didn't expect that His Majesty would have such a will.

Doesn't this mean that Zhong Wen's method of making salt is being usurped?

According to his understanding of Li Shimin, this is not like Li Shimin's will at all.

If it were another person, he could understand Cheng Yaojin's words, but who is the person in front of him?Zhong Wen, who might cause a major incident.

Chapter 531 Change [-]% to [-]% Profit

"Cheng Yaojin, what good things are you thinking? What are the people in the world, what are you doing for the people? You, Cheng Yaojin, I don't know what you are thinking. I don't know what relationship you have with Li Daliang? Li Daliang , tell yourself, what is the deal between you two?" Zhong Wen stared at Cheng Yaojin, with a hint of impatience in his eyes.

Li Daliang, who was standing aside, was really frightened by Zhong Wen's state at this time.

There is no need to talk about his relationship with Cheng Yaojin.

Just now, Zhong Wen already knew the relationship between him and Cheng Yaojin from his mouth.

Li Daliang even told Zhong Wen that he had written a letter to go to Chang'an, and Cheng Yaojin was among them.

At this time, Cheng Yaojin also looked dumbfounded.

He didn't expect that his relationship with Li Daliang would be broken by Zhong Wen's simple sentence.

"Oh, look at me, I am getting more and more confused as I get older, please don't take it seriously, Shaobao Zhong, I am doing business for the Holy One, don't blame me, of course, if Shaobao Zhong doesn't want to make salt It’s okay to contribute the method, and the Holy One also knows your nature, so he only sent me here to ask Zhong Shaobao’s opinion.” Cheng Yaojin saw that Zhong Wenmao seemed very unhappy, and immediately turned his face and said with a smile .

First pretending to be confused, and then saying that he is old, it is obvious that he wants to cheat Zhongwen.

However, Zhong Wen saw all of this.

Speaking of which, Zhong Wen was not so wary of other generals, but Cheng Yaojin was the only one who was wary.

A Duke who can live for so many years, if you think about it, you will know that he is not a simple character.

This is not Cheng Yaojin, the demon king in the TV series, but Cheng Yaojin, who is scheming on the surface.

Zhong Wen has seen so many characters in Chang'an.

Among them, most of them are the Duke Xungui.

When Zhong Wen himself came to Chang'an for the first time, he met the first Duke of the State, and he belonged to Cheng Yaojin.

"Really? What about the imperial decree?" Zhong Wen didn't believe Cheng Yaojin's words.

He would rather believe Yuchi Jingde's words than choose to believe the words that came out of Cheng Yaojin's mouth.

"This..., I came out in a hurry, and the Holy Majesty didn't let me come here to preach the imperial decree. The Holy Majesty meant that it was best not to go through Shang Shusheng for the affairs here. You also know that once the imperial decree is issued, it will definitely go through Shang Shusheng. , in order to prevent some troubles, so the Holy Majesty only asked me to come here to give oral instructions." When Cheng Yaojin saw that Zhong Wen wanted to see the imperial decree, he immediately became paralyzed.

While in Chang'an, Li Shimin really didn't ask him to come over and issue any imperial edict to Zhong Wen.

After all, the letter written by Li Daliang only went through the military, not the normal route.

They didn't even pass by the Ministry of War. It is conceivable that Li Daliang, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Jingde, and Li Shimin are most unwilling to let this matter go through those civil servants.

"There is no imperial decree, so you just come here to pass on oral instructions? I, Zhong Wen, am not a fool, am I? I, Zhong Wen, know about the character of Su Guogong. Many of the people you brought here are your generals, right? You brought I watched them come over just to get a share of the action, you pretend I have no eyes and didn't see?" Zhong Wen stared at Cheng Yaojin, and said slowly.

"Zhong Shaobao, I have offended you so much in the past, please don't be offended. This matter is really an oral order from the Holy Majesty. You should also know that the matter of salt is a matter of national importance. How dare I come here to deceive you at will? Yes, I am Cheng Yaojin I really want to get some benefits from it, but you and I, Zhong Shaobao, are also warriors anyway, so you have to give us warriors a hand." Seeing Zhong Wen's words, Cheng Yaojin regretted what he said at the beginning.

As soon as he saw Zhong Wen, Cheng Yaojin really wanted to cheat the method of making salt from Zhong Wen, but now Zhong Wen saw through it, and he became nervous all of a sudden.

"It's okay to share the profits, but I have the final say on the profits, not you." Zhong Wen also knew that it was impossible to keep the secret of the secret method of making salt secret for a long time.

And it is impossible for me to live here for a long time, and it is impossible to completely prevent these nobles from coming to share some benefits.

Lizhou is a lower state, and it is estimated that it will be promoted to Zhongzhou in two years.

The population can be born in large numbers, the fields can be reclaimed in large quantities, and the business can also be done by the Lizhou business group.

But Lizhou is still only a small state, if there is more salt, the supply will naturally exceed the demand.

What's more, Li Daliang was the governor of Liangzhou in the first place, so he would certainly not be able to stay here for a long time in the future.

With Cheng Yaojin coming over, the matter of the saltworks will be even more stable in the future.

According to Cheng Yaojin's temperament of protecting food, if it comes to anyone who dares to come to share the profits, it is estimated that no one will lose face. Moreover, he still has Li Shimin's instruction.

"Yes, yes, Zhong Shaobao, you have the final say, and of course I, old Cheng, have no objection." Seeing that Zhong Wen no longer pestered him, Cheng Yaojin's heart fell to the ground immediately.

He was really worried that Zhong Wen would say 'no'.

Before coming from Chang'an, Li Shimin confessed to him.

No matter what, this matter was led by Zhong Wen, and he could only follow his orders.

But he lied to Zhong Wen as soon as he came. This move was really wrong, and it was still a big mistake.

On the other hand, Zhong Wen didn't care much about Cheng Yaojin deceiving him, he only cared about Lizhou's interests.

"Before, Li Daliang and I had already discussed it, so I would like to ask you, what is the Holy Spirit's intention?" Zhong Wen looked at Li Daliang, and then asked Cheng Yaojin.

"Young Master Zhong, I won't say such big words, but the Holy One is the Holy One after all, and he is in a dilemma. So, what do you think of Sanqi? Your three saints go to Qi." Cheng Yaojin spoke out Li Shimin's original words.

"Sanqikai? Do you know how much bitter salt there is in this salt lake? Do you know how much salt will be produced in a year from next year? Do you also know that the salt produced by secret methods is refined salt? And do you know? , How much is a catty of refined salt?" Zhong Wen said with narrowed eyes.

Thirty-seven open, a big one thirty-seven open.

I have worked so hard for so long, and even came up with the secret method of making salt, and I only got three. On the other hand, Li Shimin and the others got seven. What's the reason?

Is it because Li Shimin is the current emperor?Is it because Cheng Yaojin and the others are the Dukes of the state?

For such a distribution method, Zhong Wen absolutely disagrees, even if there is a gap with Li Shimin, Zhong Wen does not agree.

"Zhong Shaobao, I know. I heard from Li Daliang that Zhong Shaobao has a secret way to make refined salt, but the country is short of salt, and some places can't even eat salt. Therefore, the Lord wishes Zhong Shaobao to understand the country's difficulties." Cheng Yao Jin replied helplessly.

"I don't care about this. My secret method of salt making can only appear here. However, after five years, the secret method of salt making can be released, but it must still be in our hands. People in the civil service department are not allowed to touch it, otherwise , I, Zhong Wen, would rather not teach the secret method of making salt." Zhong Wen said coldly.

"I can guarantee that within five years, Zhong Shaobao's secret method of making salt will still be here, and after five years, I can also suggest it to the Holy One. As for the split, Zhong Shaobao, do you think?" Cheng Yaojin suddenly Wen Zhongwen set a five-year deadline, and his heart became even more excited.

"[-]-[-], no matter how many people you send over, I will get [-]% from Lizhou. Even if you collect salt by yourself, I will still get [-]% from Lizhou. This is non-negotiable." Zhong Wen finally set a [-]% number.

Fifty percent is quite high.

But this height is also based on the secret method of making salt provided by Zhong Wen.

Of course, changing from [-]% to [-]% is also a step of Zhong Wen's compromise.

There is a shortage of salt in all parts of the country, so how could Zhong Wen not know about this.

For the benefit of Lizhou, Zhong Wen set a five-year period, and then relaxed it.

Although this can be relaxed, Zhong Wen still does not allow any civil servants to intervene. This is Zhong Wen's decision because of his displeasure with the civil servants.

"This..., Zhong Shaobao, isn't the [-]% discount too little?" Cheng Yaojin heard that the [-]% discount, felt that Zhong Wen took the [-]% profit, and felt a little distressed.

"Why don't you keep Qisan." Zhong Wen replied angrily.

"Come on, just [-]-[-], [-]-[-] is fine." Cheng Yaojin couldn't bear [-]-[-].

If it is opened in sevens and threes, the benefits are still very large, but after all, he wants to get more benefits from it, so naturally he doesn't want to really open it in sevens and threes.

"Zhong Shaobao, do you think this matter is settled? It is rare for Duke Su to come here, so he must have a good drink today." Li Daliang saw that the matter had come to an end and everyone was satisfied, so he quickly interjected Said.

"Yes, Zhong Shaobao, we are old friends, and your master and I are also old friends, so we have to drink a lot today." Cheng Yaojin got Li Daliang's signal, and hurriedly shouted to Zhong Wen.

"I don't drink." Zhong Wen said coldly.

After finishing speaking, Zhong Wen walked towards his original tent, not caring what Cheng Yaojin did.

At this time, Cheng Yaojin looked at Zhong Wen's leaving back, his eyes were full of helplessness, seeing Li Daliang, the two of them shook their heads helplessly at the same time.

They also knew about Zhong Wen's temper.

A person who doesn't like to be troublesome, and doesn't like to be troublesome.

But when it came to the bottom line, they couldn't resist Zhong Wen's appearance.

Just like the negotiation just now, Cheng Yaojin was almost out of breath.

Fortunately, at the end, Zhong Wen let go of some conditions, but the [-]-[-] split still made Cheng Yaojin not know how to repay Li Shimin.

"Old Cheng, don't blame Zhong Shaobao. Zhong Shaobao is such a person. I have been with him for so many days, and I have never seen him drink once. It seems that Zhong Shaobao really doesn't drink." This helplessness was explained to Cheng Yaojin.

"I know that Zhong Shaobao opened a restaurant in Chang'an. The dishes in the restaurant are the dishes I must eat every day, but they are too expensive. Today, I managed to get Zhong Shaobao. I wanted to let Zhong Shaobao show off his cooking skills. , It seems that I have no luck with Old Cheng." How could Cheng Yaojin dare to blame Zhong Wen, because he was already very proud of not letting him sit on the bench.

"What? Zhong Shaobao also knows how to cook? Why haven't I heard of it before?" Li Daliang felt a little strange when he heard Cheng Yaojin's words.

"You don't know? Chang'an Huilai Restaurant is Zhong Shaobao's restaurant, and the secret cooking method of its dishes is also from Zhong Shaobao, Lao Li. You should try it when you return to Chang'an. As long as you taste it, you will know it There is such a delicacy in the world." Cheng Yaojin swallowed his saliva and said.

Chapter 532 The Master of the Western Regions Appears Again

The arrival of Cheng Yaojin disrupts Zhong Wen's original plan.

Originally, Zhong Wen was planning to leave and return to Lizhou, but now, he had to stop temporarily and wait and see how Cheng Yaojin and Li Daliang would develop the salt lake in the future.

At this time, the number of people living in Salt Lake has already exceeded [-].

At a glance, it was really crowded.

Fortunately, it rarely rains at the location of the salt lake, which also ensures the great progress of the project.

And what the salt lake lacks the most is probably only water.

Food and tools and materials are also good, and these can also be transported from the territory of Tang.

But the water use has become the most troublesome thing.

It's been nearly a month. During this month, Zhong Wen, not to mention taking a bath, probably rarely even washed his face.

For this matter, Zhong Wen is currently catching Cheng Yaojin and scolding him.

"Cheng Yaojin, do you think that since you are a Duke, you can be above others or something? This is the Salt Lake, not your residence." Zhong Wen really didn't like Cheng Yaojin.

"Zhong Shaobao, I didn't do anything." Cheng Yaojin was naturally unhappy at Zhong Wen's groundless accusation.

However, he dared not show his displeasure.

Cheng Yaojin has never experienced Zhong Wen's methods, but he has seen them for a long time.

"Didn't do anything? What is this? Don't tell me it's your urine. I'll tell you Cheng Yaojin. When you go to the salt lake, the water has to be rationed. Even if you are the Duke of the state, you have to give me a ration. Li Daliang, from today Let me carry out what I said just now, and if anyone dares to spoil the water, get out of the salt lake." Zhong Wen pointed to the water in a basin in front of Cheng Yaojin, and summoned Li Daliang.

"Well, Zhong Shaobao, Su Guogong has just arrived, he will pay attention to it in the future, he will pay attention to it." Li Daliang was really like a sandwich biscuit at this time, neither of them dared to offend, nor did they dare to speak too much of good things.

"You have to look like you just came here, Cheng Yaojin, you used a basin of water today, then you have to bring back a hundred buckets of water, and there are not so many advantages here, if you want to Wash your face and take a bath, then go to the Yellow River to wash yourself, don't cause more people to suffer because of you." Zhong Wen will not stop accusing Cheng Yaojin just because of Li Daliang's words.

Drinking water is pitifully scarce, Cheng Yaojin even used a basin of water to wash his face early in the morning, what kind of thing is this?

How much manpower would it take to fetch this basin of water from a mountain pond hundreds of miles away? This is not such a simple matter.

It would be easier to say in winter, after all, there is snow on the mountains fifty miles away, which can be melted and boiled for drinking water, but if you need to fetch snow to boil water, you still have to go fifty miles away, let alone now.

After listening for a long time, Cheng Yaojin realized his problem.

Although, this is not a big deal.

According to him, Cheng Yaojin, who is the Duke of Su, what's wrong with using a basin of water.

Even if Cheng Yaojin uses one ton of water a day, it is reasonable in this era.

However, he met Zhong Wen.

Meeting this Zhong Wen, who values ​​fairness and equality, brought him accusations early in the morning.

"Yes, yes, what Zhong Shaobao said was that it was my old Cheng's fault. It's also my fault that I didn't understand the rules here just now. Please don't be angry with Zhong Shaobao. I will arrange for people to fetch water." Cheng Yaojin hurriedly turned to Zhong Wen If he is soft, he is afraid that Zhong Wen will attack him again and send him away.

He is not afraid to challenge him, but if he is really driven away, his errands will not be done well, and the benefits of salt production will probably disappear. This is his biggest loss.

"Old Cheng, it's my fault that I didn't tell you. It's not like the Tang Dynasty here. The water here is more precious than food. I can use your pot of water for five days. Let's come here, hurry up." I haven't had a good bath in a month, even Zhong Shaobao is like this." Seeing Zhong Wen leave, Li Daliang hurriedly said to Cheng Yaojin.

"I said why Zhong Shaobao was so angry just now. It turned out to be the reason. I thought Zhong Shaobao didn't like me." Cheng Yaojin really suspected that Zhong Wen was targeting him.

Cheng Yaojin's suspicion was right, Zhong Wen was really targeting him.

He lied to Zhong Wen as soon as he came yesterday, so Zhong Wen was naturally upset.