Don't be a prince

Fang Mou Du Duan, Changsun Wuji, Qin Qiong, Yu Chigong, Cheng Yaojin...

These people all chose to be loyal to him by coincidence, and they were all extremely outstanding in their respective fields.

Yu Tai looked at Li Chengqian strangely. Ever since he announced his name, Shizi looked at him strangely.I don't know if it was an illusion, but he actually saw respect from the child's expression?

Li Chengqian, who came back to his senses, waved his hand: "I have to thank the general, but this king is planning to go out in civilian clothes, can our battle be smaller?"

Yu Tai was only carrying a horizontal knife, and the guards he led were all armed to the teeth.Going out with such a team of people, if you meet a timid person, you will probably be scared to death.

Yu Tai smiled, and with a wave of his hand behind him, the guards all took off their armor, leaving only concealed weapons such as daggers.

The guards who took off their armor and put on civilian clothes looked just like the old farmers in the field.

Wrong, not in general, but just.

The Tang Dynasty implemented the government military system, and the soldiers were integrated into the farmers. Many soldiers were actually farmers at the same time.

"His Royal Highness, do you think this is good?"

Li Chengqian nodded, and walked out of his small courtyard under the leadership of Yu Tai.

Qinwang Mansion is located in Xiudefang (Note 1). Walking out of the gate of Qin Wangfu, you can see the majestic imperial palace to the east.

However, Li Chengqian's attention was not focused on the imperial palace, but he saw the indelible fireworks on the outer wall of the Qin Palace, and the Chang'an residents in tattered clothes coming and going.

The successive battles since the end of the Sui Dynasty have really caused huge damage to this land.

After walking out of the mansion, the guards dispersed naturally and merged into the crowd, only Yu Tai and Changsun Baoqing followed.

The eldest grandson Baoqing is Li Chengqian's accompanying student and at the same time his meat shield. No matter what Li Chengqian does, he will follow.

And Yu Tai, who still seemed to be careless, put his left hand on the horizontal knife at the same time. Whenever there was danger, he would press the spring and pull out the horizontal knife as soon as possible.

There are no special places around Xiudefang. If you want to truly experience the prosperity of Chang'an, the most direct places are the east and west cities.

The West Market is the closest to Xiudefang, so Yu Tai naturally led Li Chengqian towards the West Market.

After passing through Buzhengfang and Xuanzhengfang, you will arrive at the north gate of the West Market.

Chang'an has gone through wars, and it is difficult for many squares and cities to even be fully populated.In Fangshi, there are only a few scattered people walking around on the streets.But when we arrived in West Market, people seemed to rush out suddenly.

Datang West Market is the commercial market in Chang'an. Because there are more merchants in the Western Regions, it is more lively than the East Market.

In the market, there are barbarians with beards who sell wine from the Western Regions, orchids who are dressed in cool clothes and dance with their waists twisted, farmers outside the city who come to sell wild vegetables, and businessmen who travel north and south in the Tang Dynasty.

Passing by a stall that was obviously a dealer, Li Chengqian couldn't help but stop.

His booth is nothing but dandelions.

The dandelion born in early spring does not have such a strong bitter taste, and it is also good to eat with a little dipping sauce.

Squatting in front of the booth, Li Chengqian asked: How do you sell dandelions? "

The farmer raised his head and gave Li Chengqian a strange look. Seeing that he was dressed gorgeously and there was a guard with a knife behind him, he knew he was a son of a rich family.

Grabbing a handful of dandelions, the farmer said with a smile, "Master, this isn't a dandelion, it's a bitter vegetable. If you want it, just give me a few copper coins. This wild vegetable is worthless."

Li Chengqian curled his lips. Although this king is in a big city, he still eats a lot of wild vegetables. You are obviously not a bitter vegetable!It is estimated that it is suffering, so I named it this way!

Looking at Changsun Baoqing, Li Chengqian said: "Give him ten copper coins, these wild vegetable books...I want them all."

These days, Li Chengqian has also figured out the price of Tang Dynasty currency, and Li Chengqian still can't do the thing of buying such a large pile of dandelions for a few dollars.

Seeing that Li Chengqian offered ten copper coins, the dealer hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Young master gave too much, three or four are enough, how dare a villain ask for so much!"

Chapter 7 Wei Zheng

Li Chengqian didn't talk nonsense. Seeing that the eldest Sun Baoqing took out the money and put away the dandelions, he left here directly, leaving the farmer alone with an unbelievable look on his face.

After the three walked a certain distance, Yu Tai suddenly asked: "My son, why did you give him ten copper coins? Three or four copper coins for these wild vegetables are already a lot!"

After thinking for a long time, Yu Tai choked back the words "prodigal son". In his opinion, Li Chengqian was clearly messing around, and being rich is not the way to spend it!

Taking out a dandelion root from Changsun Baoqing's cloth bag and stuffing it into his mouth, sucking the bitterness inside, Li Chengqian said: "I don't know why I gave ten copper coins too much. But, looking at his skinny appearance, you can tell His family doesn’t have much food. It’s very difficult for a farmer to get enough to eat when the crops are scarce. Since he has dug up enough wild vegetables to feed his hunger, why would he go to the West Market to sell them? Have you ever thought about this problem?”

Yu Tai scratched his head, only then did he realize that the farmer's behavior of selling wild vegetables was extremely weird.

It stands to reason that farmers dig up wild vegetables and eat them, so why go to the West Market to sell them?

Changsun Baoqing's brain turned quickly, and he understood after a while: "This means that there are people in his family who can't eat wild vegetables. He has to sell wild vegetables and replace them with grain."

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded: "That's right, it can only be because of this. Now a bucket of rice is worth [-] yuan, and how much can you get in exchange for three coppers? Give him ten coppers, and he can get more than half a bucket of rice. Let his family be full, at least for a while, so that the young child or the old man who can't eat wild vegetables will not worry about eating. For this king, the extra seven copper coins may be just a temporary extravagance. For this farmer, It might be worth a life."

Li Chengqian walked on his own, without seeing the expressions of Yu Tai and Changsun Baoqing.

It never occurred to them that there was such a deep story in it just that ten copper coins bought wild vegetables worth three copper coins.

how to say?

Is this really just a seven-year-old kid?

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

There were three consecutive high-fives, and Li Chengqian couldn't help but look behind him, only to see an old guy with a gray beard who was clapping.

The old guy was dressed in tattered clothes, but he had a fair face, and the worst thing was that he was wearing official boots.

This is a bit stupid, although the appearance is very shabby, but as long as someone with a heart notices it, he can deduce his identity as an official.

Yu Tai's hand was on the horizontal knife, and he noticed this trailing guy from the very beginning. If he didn't feel that this person had no malicious intentions, he would definitely catch him and interrogate him.

Seeing Li Chengqian's attention was attracted, the old man smiled and said: "I heard that there were people like Xiang Lu and Gan Luo in ancient times. Although they were young, they were extremely intelligent. They were called child prodigies. It's just that the old man always thought that this was just recorded by the ancients for bragging. I don't want to, I actually met a person who is not weak in the ancient books in the West City of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty today."

Li Chengqian pushed Yu Tai away, revealed his figure, and said with a smile: "It's not a child prodigy, it's just a wild idea. If this king is really a child prodigy, he will know your identity at the first sight of you. Isn't it ?”

The old guy stroked his beard and laughed, knowing that Li Chengqian was asking about his identity, he cupped his hands and said, "The old man was rude. The old man and the crown prince washed Wei Zheng and met the king of Zhongshan!"

"Fuck! Wei Zheng!?"

To Wei Zheng's surprise, after learning of his identity, Li Chengqian jumped up on the spot, intending to run away directly.

Is this old man so scary?

Wei Zheng was so puzzled that he almost wanted to find a mirror to see his appearance.

"King Zhongshan, is this old man scary?" Seeing that Li Chengqian regained his composure, Wei Zheng asked aloud.

You're not scary, you're just smelly and tough, and most people can't afford to mess with you.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but slander.

The people of the ages have mirrored Wei Zheng, a well-known existence in the Tang Dynasty.In Li Chengqian's impression, this person is definitely a crab living in Chang'an, from the common people to the emperor, there is no one he dare not hate.From the few short stories left over from history, we can see how courageous this person is.

I can't afford to mess with you, if you commit something and fall into this person's hands, it's useless even if you are the emperor behind you.This old guy didn't hate the emperor once or twice, and he even won almost every time.

However, the current Wei Zheng is not a royal doctor, but just a prince washing horses.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "So it's Mr. Wei, but I don't know what Mr. Wei is doing in the West Market with his simple clothes and official boots?"

Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Wei Zheng lowered his head and glanced at the official boots, then blushed.

I was in a hurry to go out today, and I forgot to change my official boots, but a child pointed it out, what a shame!

With a blushing face, Wei Zheng smiled wryly and said, "Now is the time when there is a shortage of crops. Many common households want to buy grain. I am afraid that some grain merchants will deliberately raise the price, so I changed my clothes to have a look. Unexpectedly, I forgot to change it." Official boots made King Zhongshan laugh."

Li Chengqian: "..."

You are a prince who washes horses. If you don’t assist your prince well, what are you doing when you have nothing to do?

Although he wanted to complain, Li Chengqian still said politely: "Lord Xima cares so much about people's livelihood, he is really a role model for my Tang officials! I still have something to do, so I won't bother Lord Wei, just leave now and say goodbye!"

After finishing speaking, Li Chengqian pulled Yu Tai and Changsun Baoqing, and ran away without looking back!

Wei Zheng, who was left in place, scratched his head in doubt.

Why did King Zhongshan guard against him like a thief?

Even if your father, King Qin, doesn't get along with the crown prince, don't delay the two of us talking!

but....

"This king of Zhongshan, who has understood the public opinion at a young age, is even willing to suffer a little for himself and help a farmer. He is really a good seed of a virtuous king..."

Even, if he is the emperor....

Wei Zheng shook his head. Although the prince's son Li Chengdao has a bad personality, he is destined to be the emperor in the future.Instead of lamenting the wisdom of Li Chengqian, the king of Zhongshan, it is better to do a good job in Li Chengdao's education and cultivate a qualified heir for Datang.

Thinking of this, Wei Zheng lost the mood to continue wandering, and walked towards the exit of the West Market.

Next to a Hu merchant's truck, Li Chengqian didn't show his head until he saw Wei Zheng leaving.

Yu Tai wondered, "Why is your son so wary of this Wei Zheng?"

The eldest grandson Baoqing was also very puzzled. It stands to reason that this is the first time that the crown prince met Wei Zheng, the crown prince Xima. Why does it seem that...

Afraid of his appearance?

Chapter 8 My king's thirteen incense!

Li Chengqian shook his head, smiled and said to Taihe Changsun Baoqing: "Look, within a year, this guy will become the type of person you can't afford to provoke. You two, if you do something bad, Just remember not to fall into his hands."

Yu Tai couldn't help but sneered, Changsun Baoqing didn't care.

The prince is just bullying them for not knowing what is going on. This Wei Zheng, although he is the crown prince, but I heard that his relationship with the crown prince is not very good.Even if the crown prince had the upper hand in the struggle between the crown prince and the king of Qin, it is impossible for this Wei Zheng to take the position.It's not worth their vigilance for a fallen prince to wash his horse.

Seeing that these two people didn't care, Li Chengqian didn't say anything more.Some words, as long as you point them out, it will be bad if you say too much.It is so frightening that a seven-year-old child can predict the future.

Since Wei Zheng is not here, he can continue to visit the West Market.

With two idiots, Li Chengqian walked from the east end of the West Market to the west end, but he didn't see any spices for sale.

After walking around for an hour, even the eldest Sun Baoqing felt a little sore in his feet. He couldn't help asking, "My lord, what are you looking for? Why don't you tell us, maybe we know where it is."

Since you can't find it, you might as well ask someone else.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian said, "I'm looking for things like prickly ash and star anise, or spices like nutmeg. Do you know where I can buy them?"

The eldest grandson Baoqing covered his forehead with his hands: "My son! There is no such thing as prickly ash and star anise sold in the West Market. If you want to buy this kind of thing, you have to go to a pharmacy. Both of them are medicinal materials."

Yu Tai also couldn't laugh or cry and said: "My lord, spices like nutmeg can only be brought by sea merchants. In addition, Dashi is also in war, and few Hu merchants on land can bring spices." I came here. Even if there is, only the imperial palace can use it at that price. If we buy this thing in the Qin Palace, we will be impeached by the officials for extravagance."

"..."

Li Chengqian was speechless for a while. The things that later generations threw into the pot, it is unexpected that they are so precious in this period.

But when he thought that salt was a rare thing at this time, he was relieved.

Without foreign spices, we can only pray that some local spices are still alive.

"Lead the way ahead, this king is going to the pharmacy."

The eldest grandson Baoqing had no choice but to take Li Chengqian to the nearest pharmacy. He had no choice but to follow such a master.

Not far from West Market, you can see a pharmacy called "Hui Chun Tang", and you can smell the unique smell of traditional Chinese medicine from a long distance away.This will be left to future generations, and the neighbors will report it as a nuisance, but here, no one cares. Instead, there are restaurants and inns on both sides, as if smelling this smell can make you live longer.

Huichuntang should be a conscientious pharmacy. There are many people who come here to see a doctor, most of them are civilians.

With his eldest grandson Baoqing and Yu Tai, Li Chengqian naturally stood at the back of the line.

Yu Tai asked puzzledly: "Your Majesty, you have a noble status, how can you let these civilians rank ahead of you? If you are embarrassed to speak, I will help you drive them away."

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No, we are here to buy something, not to see a doctor. If we jump in line, we will delay other people's time to see a doctor. Be honest with me!"

Yu Tai could only nod his head, but he was more respectful towards Li Chengqian.

He was originally from a poor background, so he paid special attention to this behavior of not putting on airs and being close to the people.He could feel that King Zhongshan didn't deliberately pretend, but really thought so.

Queuing took more time than expected. It was not until an hour later that it was Li Chengqian's turn, and it was already noon.

Sitting in the middle hall was an old man with a white beard, with a peaceful expression. As long as the patients who came to see the doctor came into contact with this person, their mood would calm down unconsciously.

The old man waved to Li Chengqian and said with a smile, "Your nobleman, do you want to see a doctor?"

As early as when Li Chengqian arrived here, he had noticed it.For Li Chengqian's behavior of queuing up obediently, he naturally appreciated it.

Li Chengqian sat in front of the old man and shook his head: "Ben...I'm not here to see a doctor, but to buy medicine. Old man, do you have Zika, amomum, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, pepper, star anise , fennel, woody fragrance, angelica dahurica, three Nye, galangal, and dried ginger, these thirteen kinds of fragrances...wrong, medicinal materials?"

Li Chengqian read it quickly, because this recipe had long been in the corner of his memory, and now he can only read it out quickly in retrospect.

Hearing the thirteen medicinal herbs, the old man stroked his beard, frowned and said, "What are Zikau and Sannai? I have never heard of them, but I still have some amomum. I have never heard of nutmeg. As for cinnamon, cloves, Star anise, woody incense, ginger...Lingnan is now in war, and the trade has been broken for a long time. These things may not have appeared in the Central Plains for a long time. There are some pepper, fennel, and angelica dahurica here. As for dried ginger, it is actually air-dried Ginger, this kind of thing is sold outside."