Be a sick and weak noble son in Daqin

The side hall was silent, and the servants stood quietly in an invisible hidden place, and all they could see were the very similar sad faces of the father and son.

Wei Ji took a step back silently, looked up at the name of the hall, made sure that he was in the right place, and then carefully crossed the threshold, "Brother, Xi'er, what's wrong with you?"

After he came out of the carpenter's shop, he went to Guiguzi's mansion again. Gongshuju's skills are rare, and he is useless in Weiguo. He will definitely take him to Qinguo, but Gongshu Modou has to trouble the ghost. Mr. Gu, let's go.

Confucianism has the saying that parents do not travel far, but Gongshu’s family does not necessarily have these rules. Even if he is worried that his father will be alone in Diqiu without anyone to take care of him, and he will send someone nearby to help, Gongshu Modou will definitely not be troubled in Diqiu City. , Even if the son is not around, he can live in peace.

It's not that he hasn't been out before, it's just that he was delayed outside for a while. Why do these two people react so strangely?

Duke Wei sighed quietly, looking at his son who was sitting next to him, he was very sad, "Xi'er, your uncle doesn't want us anymore."

Prince Xi rubbed his face, got up and pulled him to the seat he had just sat down, his eyes were watery as if he could cry in a second, "Is my uncle leaving again? When will he come back after leaving this time? "

"I'll leave in a few days. I'm not in such a hurry this time." Wei Ji comforted his eldest nephew who didn't know why he thought of this, and was about to hold him in his arms to explain a few words, when his brother slapped the table and said indignantly, " This kid is not the only one who is reluctant, so why just coax him?"

"Brother!" The young man looked at his elder brother dumbfounded, and decisively began to change the subject, "It's getting late, let's eat first, and we'll talk about other things tomorrow."

"Don't forget about tomorrow, you will give brother a promise today, set a date to leave, let's not talk about Xi'er for now, do you have the heart to make my brother worry about me every day?" Duke Wei raised his hand to stop him, Ignoring the little prince's accusing eyes, he continued, "Brother, you are such a precious little brother, and now you run out of the sky, and you don't know that you will be able to wait for the filial piety you deserve in the future."

Prince Xi glanced at his uncle, gritted his teeth and said with a tense face, "Father, the child is your son."

"It's almost the same, there's no difference." Duke Wei waved his hand casually, asked the servant to go down to pass the meal, and then continued to sigh, he raised his younger brother like a son, why can't he let him be filial?

Prince Xi hugged their uncle's neck aggrievedly, and was about to be cried by his father, "Father, is the child really yours?"

"There are not many good people in the world, and it is even rarer to be as dignified as your father and me. If it weren't for my own birth, would you be able to look like this?" Duke Wei raised his chin, and he could tell just by listening to his tone. Feel the arrogance.

Prince Xi's face swelled with anger, he couldn't think of how to refute, he could only sit back in front of his case and get angry alone, why is he so unlucky, why did he have such a father?

Wei · Fake younger brother · Real son · Ji: What else can I do, of course I followed his brother's wishes.

Fortunately, their family really has a good relationship, otherwise, with his brother's mouth, it would be no wonder that the eldest nephew would wait to see him in the future, "It will take about half a month before Master Lu completes Mr. Sun's wheelchair before starting preparations."

"Half a month, it's just a blink of an eye." Wei Gong whispered, his expression finally eased a bit, it's better to stay for another half month than to pack up and leave tomorrow, "We have reached a deal with Qin Guo It's true, but the place is remote after all, you must remember to protect yourself, if you are bullied... forget it... you will still be bullied when you come back, you should stay in that remote place."

Wei Ji: ...

It's what his brother could say that didn't run away.

Prince Xi looked at their uncle sympathetically. The two uncles and nephews sat down, knowing that they couldn't push back at this time. They just watched and waited for the food to be served. When they had no ability to resist, they still compared honestly. good.

Dinner is fluffy white flour pancakes, fried mutton, and tofu nao, which is popular in Wei Gong now. In addition to the big iron pot, there are several small iron pots of different types in the palace, which are very useful for cooking.

Wei Ji told the cook when the pot was just delivered, this thing can not only be used to stew fish, stewed meat, stewed goose, but also to stir-fry tofu, meat, and vegetables. After all, they have been working in the palace for decades The old man, after opening his mind, he doesn't need to bother to study with him.

The cook in their family is different from the one transferred directly from the military barracks in the son's house. He is a serious cook with a long history of family education, and he is much better at cooking than him.

Tofu is very popular as soon as it appears, not to mention the variety of ways to eat it. At a time when ordinary people can only eat two meals a day, the most important thing is that it is cheap.

Aristocratic families eat three meals a day, and ordinary people eat two meals a day, not because of the rules, but because ordinary people don’t have so much food to support three meals a day, and in bad harvest years, even one meal a day is difficult. Wei Ji.

Shu is the general term for beans. Soybeans are the only one that can be made into tofu, but only this kind is enough. The yield of soybeans is not low, and there are also many plants in Weiguo, but they are not planted every year. Their role It is a fertile land for cultivation.

After all, beans are not tasty, and if you eat too much, you will be prone to flatulence. It doesn’t matter if you just have flatulence. If you have gastrointestinal problems, you are not far from death. Therefore, no one will choose to eat beans without a last resort.

But it’s different after having tofu. It tastes delicious and you don’t have to worry about eating it. It can be made by grinding it into tofu and adding brine. Given the speed of Qiu's population flow, it won't be long before the recipe of tofu spreads all over the world.

There are many merchants in the country of Wei, and the caravan under Wei Ji also wanted to make a fortune by guarding Fangzi at first. Beans are cheap but tofu is delicious. Not to mention the raw materials, no one would have guessed that the beans they despise can make such delicious food .

It's just that this thing is not easy to store and can only be sold in the city, and the kung fu will be ruined when it is out of the city.

For the caravan, the benefits brought by fame are much greater than the small profits in front of them.

After a comfortable meal, Duke Wei ordered the food table to be removed, glanced at Wei Ji who wanted to take Wei Xi away, bent his fingers and tapped twice, then got up and walked towards the study .

Prince Xi tugged on his uncle's sleeve, and comforted him in a mature way, "Don't be afraid, uncle, the most he can do is nagging, after all, in father's heart, you are his real son."

"Jing nonsense, have you eaten too much delicious food these days?" Wei Ji cursed with a smile, sent his eldest nephew away and quickly followed him. The angry brother has to be coaxed these days, otherwise it will be even more difficult when the time comes gone.

He had already mentioned the matter of leaving a few days ago, but he didn't dare to go on because of his brother's complexion. Today, he has already talked about this, and it happens to be a good opportunity to say it again.

He will be preparing to leave in half a month at the most. If he can't let his brother let go, then he will either not leave, or he can only take Xiao Jia and run away from home just like last time. It's just that his brother was unprepared last time. That's why the two of them were let out of Diqiu. With preparedness this time, the possibility of running out is not much.

The sun is westward, the sky is getting late, the farmers go home, and the weary crows return to their nests.

Mr. Wang Xu changed his clothes and brought gifts, said hello to his apprentice who was gnawing at home, and leisurely went to the next door to visit.

Sun Boling watched his teacher's back disappear around the corner, and then looked at the crude map in his hand, which was so crude that only Xiaoshan, Qinling, and Yellow River could be discerned, he smiled and continued to immerse himself in the situation of other countries.

After the Qin army pacified Xirong and beheaded the king of Xirong and Huo, and repelled the coalition forces of Han and Zhao, they closed Hangu Pass. Except for the state of Chu in the south and the grassland in the north, the eyes of the Three Jin Dynasties were completely shut out.

Pang Juan wholeheartedly wants to establish a meritorious service and leave a name in history. There is no greater contribution than destroying the country. Uncle Cuo is as jealous of talents as Pang Juan, but the biggest difference between him and Pang Juan is that besides himself, the most important thing he values ​​is Wei Guo. And not meritorious service.

The king of Wei was ambitious, and the old uncle could still persuade him when he was alive. Once the old uncle died, under Pang Juan's instigation, he would definitely want to completely destroy Qin.

Since the division of the three families into the Jin Dynasty, wars to destroy the country have occurred from time to time, but the ones that were destroyed were all small and inconspicuous countries. If a country that was once a hegemon like Qin was completely wiped out, Wei would expand even more. It annexed the Central Plains and took it on behalf of Zhou.

Qin Gong had great ambitions, and from the time he recruited Shandong scholars into Qin, he gradually gathered the Qin army within Hangu Pass. Pang Juan wanted to fight, but Qin Guo might not give him this opportunity.

It is not wise to go to war when the national strength is not sustainable, so let his good brother be proud for a few more years.

The baby-faced young man leaned on the back of the chair, looking at the greenery protruding from the corner, with a somewhat unpredictable smile in his eyes, he had a hunch that Qin Jun would not let him down.

Young Master Ji said that one of Qin's scholars was named Wei Yang, and that kid was much more capable than him. If Duke Qin could really let that kid use his hands and feet, it would not be impossible for Qin State to destroy Wei State in turn.

Things are changing, who knows what will happen next?

The oil lamp was turned on early in the study. Mr. Wei sat under the window, asked his baby brother who was following him to sit opposite him, and then said seriously, "Qin is not Wei after all, and everyone knows that Qin people are tough, so you must know how to behave when you are there." .”

Wei Ji nodded obediently, "Don't worry, brother, Ji'er understands."

Brother, what should I do if I can't let go?Of course it's enough to let him nag!

In the eyes of the Central Plains people, Qin people are just like barbarians, and they can't change in a short while. When doing business, people are stupid and have little money, but they can't hold back and are easy to fool. It is also good for Weiguo to help the country.

Wei Gong didn't care much about these things, anyway, how much money he earned in the end was just in his hands, and he didn't know when he was "borrowed" by the robber neighbors. It's better to let Qin get some benefits than let Zhao Wei wait to take it After spending their money, they think about how to destroy their national strength.

It's one thing to do business, but it's another thing to let baby brother go there. Even if you know the current relationship between Qin and Wei, Qin must treat him like an ancestor to the son of Wei. Can't be completely relieved.

God damn Wei An, god damn Wei Yan, if it wasn't for the fact that Wei Guo is no match for Wei Guo, how could he let his precious brother hide in such a dangerous place?

He couldn't move Wei Guo, and he felt uncomfortable, and the Qi Yinan family couldn't even think about having a good life.

There was a hint of cruelty in Wei Gong's eyes, seeing Wei Ji sitting beside him obediently and carefully for fear that he would feel uncomfortable, he took a deep breath and said, "Ji'er, half of the caravans controlled by the Gong clan will focus on They went to Qin country, and the remaining half brother is going to let them go to Zhao country."

The Nan family wanted to curry favor with Wei Yan and Wei An, even if Qi Yi was rich, they couldn’t stand their toss. The country of Zhao was located in the north, and the food was only enough for the country’s consumption. Once there was an army to move, they had to go to other places to buy food. It's okay to get it, but if you can't buy it, no matter how urgent the military situation is, the army can only shelve it.

Zhao State was just beaten back by Qin State, and the next thing is to use troops with Wei State. The price of food from Qi State can be doubled in Zhao State. Even if the Nan family is short of money, they can only find solutions from other places Selling Qi State's grain to Zhao State, because it would be detrimental to Wei State, Nan's hands were tied, he didn't have this concern.

The caravans are traveling from south to north, and the most profitable ones are Haiyan from Qi State, horses from Zhao State, gold from South Korea, and bronze from Chu State. The caravans of the Nan Clan and the Gong Clan are all in operation. Compared with these, the Nan family even has the upper hand.

The monarch will not devote all his energy to running the caravan, but the patriarch of the Nan clan can. Their family has no way to advance in Weiguo, and the amulet left by the ancestor son Ying is nothing to the monarch. It can interest them The only thing I can do is make money.

However, money is not necessarily useful at certain times. After all, Weiguo is not the Weiguo of the Nan clan. The caravan operates outside, and the name reported is Weiguo first and then the Nanshi. This title will not allow them to grow up to this point.

Wei Ping usually doesn't care about these things, but it doesn't mean that he really has nothing to do with Nan's.

"Actually, it doesn't need to be so troublesome." Wei Ji blinked, seeing his brother's hatred was still hard to dissipate, and softly comforted him, "Since they have taken refuge in the Wei State, they are willing to be squeezed by the King of Wei, why do you have to go to this muddy water?"

Wei Gong frowned, and saw that the young man in front of him seemed to have something to say, so he clenched his fists to signal him to continue, "By the time they attacked you, the Wei family and the Nan family were already dying. .”

The implication is that after Wei Ji leaves, he will definitely attack the Nan clan, not only the Nan clan's caravan, but also the Nan clan's influence in the court of the state of Wei. Sticking around is an eyesore.

"I originally thought that I would do it after I arrived in Qin. Since I can't bear it, it's okay to toss them a few times first." Wei Ji said with his face propped up, and got up and asked the servant waiting outside the study to go to his hall to take the top of the book case. He brought a few scrolls of bamboo slips from him, and then turned around and said, "I won't say much about the affairs of the government. You can add more things to the caravan going to Zhao."

"Add what?" Wei Gong raised his eyebrows, seeing the tone of their precious brother, he quickly guessed that there was another new thing coming out.

Wei Ji nodded, and waited for the servant to bring the bamboo slips and said, "Refined iron and sucrose, which one do you think is more suitable?"

Refined iron at this time is actually just wrought iron, but it can be directly used to make weapons. Most of the iron ore mined in various countries can only be smelted into pig iron, and there are only a few workshops that can smelt wrought iron.

Qin is not the only country that needs refined iron. Zhao is the first country to popularize iron soldiers. Qin has more copper and less iron, so bronze smelting is developed. Zhao is just the opposite. Try your best to smelt the iron to the extent that it can resist the bronze.

It’s just that ironware has not been developed for many years after all, and the most advanced smelting technology at this time can only process brittle and hard white iron that is easy to break into black-heart malleable cast iron that is not so brittle.

There are also hundreds of steel smelting, but it is more labor-intensive than cast iron. You can tell from the name that [-] steel smelting requires repeated beatings. With that kung fu, dozens of bronze swords have been cast. Forging a few is okay, and equipment for the army It's really not worth it.

The most important thing in iron smelting is temperature control. If the temperature does not rise, there will be no way to proceed. It just so happens that he has learned some useful methods before. As long as conditions permit, he can use shaft furnace iron smelting, low-temperature steel smelting, and even pouring steel. can sort it out.

But thinking about the position of the Wei State, the biggest reason for the craftsmen to study it is not to sell it to other countries to make a lot of money, but to be calculated by other countries to come directly and snatch the geomantic land with blacksmiths.

The young man propped his chin on the bamboo slips, and after careful consideration, he chose to give the other roll of bamboo slips to his brother, "Smelting iron is too dangerous, so it's okay if we just change hands, if we really want to be able to smelt better iron than Qi Wei Zhao Han , I’m afraid that Weiguo will not be stable in the future, it’s better to eat and eat more safely.”

The world regards sweetness as the most beautiful, and the sweet taste is irresistible at any time. Only maltose, caramel and honey are not enough. There is sugarcane in Chu State, so buy more sugarcane to make sucrose.

The mature sugarcane is chopped and crushed to remove impurities such as mud and dregs, and directly boiled in a large pot. After the water is boiled, lumps of rough sugar can be produced. The process actually has no technical content.

When people in the world still don't know how refined sugar can be, the boiled sugar doesn't need to be too refined. The simplest brown sugar is enough for nobles from all over the world to snatch it up.

"Silly boy, you still don't understand." Wei Gong couldn't help laughing while watching his baby brother talking to himself about the value of the things in the bamboo slips in a serious manner.

He just wanted to torment Nan's. It didn't matter whether he earned money or not. Anyway, no matter how much money he earned, he didn't spend much for them in the end.

"Brother, believe me, no one can resist the temptation of sugar." Wei Ji was not angry when he saw his brother's reaction, but continued to explain, "After eating tofu brain mutton steamed buns with green vegetables, fried meat and stewed goose in an iron pot , would you like to let you be the same as before?"

It's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice. Without seasonings, no matter how good a cook is, they can't make such a good taste. They all say that natural is the best, but after adding those seasonings, no one said that the food is not delicious.

Now the method of making sugar is immature. When the technology of making sugar is as mature as that of making salt, who will lose that pot of sugar at home?

This thing is like salt, after you taste it, you really can't live without it, bro!

Wei Gong also grew up with rich clothes and fine food, no matter how you say it, he is also a child of the public clan. He will not be short of food since he was a child. He only talks about sucrose. The important thing is that I can't sit still immediately.

The state of Qi became powerful quickly, and it was a great contribution to sell Qi's salt to all countries in the world sitting on the seashore. Regardless of whether it is fine salt or coarse salt, people can't live without this thing.

Gold and silver are not important to him, but if the wealth of a city can be overturned easily, even the king can't hold back his eager heart.

Duke Wei nodded with two lights in his eyes, and raised the corners of his lips when he looked at the baby brother who said he was tired and was drinking water to moisten his throat, "Ji'er, wait for brother to wipe out the influence of the Nan family in Weiguo, Qi Yi I will leave it to you as a fief."

Wei Ji: Cough, cough, cough——

The young man was startled by his brother's sudden words and choked on the water. He threw down the quilt and patted his chest, coughing non-stop. How could his fiefdom be established before he even wrote it off?

Wei Gong hurried over to give him a pat on the back, looking at the baby brother who could choke on drinking water, he just let go of his heart, "It's just that the fief is settled for you first, why are you so excited?"

Wei Ji couldn't stop coughing at all, and it took him a while to finally calm down. Looking at his brother who was full of worry but not worried enough to go on time, he coughed again without taking a breath.

It is true that Qiyi is a good place. The Nan family has been enfeoffed there for a hundred years, and now it has swelled to the point where it dares to covet the throne. Its wealth can be seen, but is it too early for you to think about withdrawing the fiefdom?

Wu Qi and the King of Chu jointly planned to reduce the clan's fiefdom, and ended up with both of them dead. When Wei Guo can still provide support for the Nan clan, you suddenly came here, isn't it really asking for trouble?

"It's still a few years before you get crowned and crowned, and you didn't say you'd take Qi Yi back now. Are you such a disrespectful person?" Duke Wei carefully patted his precious brother on the back, and when he recovered, he fell back again. Handing over a glass of water, he continued with eyes full of helplessness, "Dangerous objects like fine iron won't move, you can take them to Qin and make them casually, let the craftsmen in the palace study the sucrose, and if the effect is good, let the caravan go to Chu more." The country buys sugar cane, we don’t care about the poor places in Zhao country, don’t worry, don’t worry.”

Anyway, after all, the place of Qiyi will definitely be reserved for his precious brother in the future. Weiguo is such a big place, and besides Diqiu, Qiyi is the most prosperous. If the country has to be reserved for himself, then his brother will have to There is second best.

He had long been worried about choosing that piece of land for Ji'er to be his family's fief in the future, and the Nan family picked this time to do something, it was as if he was dozing off and sent pillows on purpose.

Wei Ji has nothing to say about his elder brother's thoughts. He can't say that in a certain world, the Nan family and Wei Guo really kicked you from the position of the monarch.

As a monarch, you still left a name in the history books, although what you left was not a good word, either self-deprecation or deposed, now I don’t know, if you know, you may be angry, that’s okay Oh, our Jia Xi'er worked so hard for a crown prince, and never even showed up from the beginning to the end.

Now that things have changed so much, his brother has been vigilant against the Nan family in advance, and he will definitely not let their plot succeed again. He is not worried that Wei will be replaced like Qi Guo with Jiang's surname. What he thinks now is that Qi If Yi became his fiefdom, what would happen in the history books of later generations.

Wei Yang was named Shang Yang because he was entrusted to Shangyi. Will he be called by Qi Ji when he is enshrined to Qiyi?

Qi Ji, Miracle, well, it is indeed a miracle that he can live here, calm and calm, it is just a name, if he just thinks too much, maybe later history books will not leave his name at all.

In the past few hundred years, capable people have emerged in large numbers from various countries, but he is just an ordinary son of a small country. How could Taishi waste pen and ink on him?

Yes, that's right.