Li Tai, who realized that he had been tricked by the cooperation of His Majesty and Fang Jun, frowned and sighed. Even though the "culprit" was right in front of him, he couldn't think of to yell and scold him. He could only lament that he was careless and did not raise his vigilance to dodge it. ……
Although my heart is full of anger, what can I say now that things have come to this?
"Your Highness, Duke Xue Guo wants to see you."
The chamberlain announced at the door, Li Tai rubbed his face: "Let him come in."
Turning back to Fang Jun, he said: "This guy looks heroic but is actually vulgar. I have been here in Luoyang for two days, and he was hiding in a village outside the city. He just came with the Lord of Dingxiang County yesterday. But you entered Luoyang City with your front foot, and this guy is behind you." There is nothing better than this."
Fang Jun smiled and said: "Your Highness, there is no need to be so picky. You, the prince, are indeed noble and unparalleled in the world. However, at this time, you have already become the focus of contention among all parties. The internal villains like Ashina Chu are afraid to avoid you." , How dare you show your courtesy? ”
Li Tai snorted coldly: "Aren't you also deprived of your official position by His Majesty, and now you only have a bunch of titles but no real power?"
"It is important for people to know themselves. Your Highness has fallen to this, why should you laugh at the fifty steps?"
"Didn't you laugh at me first?"
“Your Highness’ ability to confuse right and wrong is unparalleled in the world.”
"You dare to mock me?"
"To each other..."
When Ashina Chu entered the main hall, he heard the two men taunting each other...
His eyelids twitched. It seemed that the rumors that the two people had a close personal relationship were not an exaggeration. Then Fang Jun's gift of such a huge sum of money to Li Tai did not necessarily have some sinister intentions.
"Wei Chen has met His Highness."
Then he exchanged salutes with Fang Jun, who had already stood up, and said with a bold smile: "When Erlang comes to Luoyang, you should inform him in advance, so that I can prepare a banquet for you to wash away the dust. It's so sudden that it really catches people off guard. Wait a minute. Don’t blame me.”
Fang Jun patted Ashina Zhong's strong arm with a friendly expression: "Why are you so polite as a family? I have always heard that Duke Xue is a Turkic warrior. Not only is he invincible when charging on the battlefield, but his drinking capacity is as deep as the sea. Find an opportunity. You must have a good drink and you will never come home until you are drunk.”
Ashina Zhong seemed extremely happy about the phrase "one family" and said happily: "It's better to choose a day than to hit it. Today is a festive day, so why not borrow the King of Wei's noble land and let's have a drink?"
Logically speaking, he was the consort of the Tang Dynasty, and he and Fang Jun were considered "brother-in-law". However, the head of Dingxiang County was the daughter of Concubine Wei Guifei and her ex-husband. No matter how much Emperor Taizong loved him back then and how generous the rewards were, he could not bear the consequences. As a "county lord", there are differences between inside and outside, and there are distinctions between high and low, which makes Ashina Zhong incompatible with all the princes-in-law.
This is a bit depressing for Ashina Zhong, who wants to integrate into the core of power in the Tang Dynasty.
Now that Fang Jun is taking the initiative to close the relationship, he naturally wants it.
An attendant outside the hall reported that Wang Xuance had arrived. Li Tai naturally summoned him, and Wang Xuance strode into the hall to greet him.
Li Tai looked at Wang Xuance and praised him: "He took up the business plan at a young age and made countless profits overseas. He is a leader among the younger generation of the Tang Dynasty."
Today, the "Eastern Datang Company" has long become a "miracle" in the Tang Dynasty. It relies on naval escort to open trade routes to all countries in the world, dumps various commodities from the Tang Dynasty everywhere, and earns huge profits. Participate in it. The noble families, aristocratic families, and martial arts all made a lot of money.
The most important thing is to hold back Datang's territory and give the empire a steady stream of financial vitality...
Wang Xuance was modest and prudent: "Your Highness is so flattering that I would never take it seriously."
Li Tai looked at Fang Jun: "Such a talent seems to be buried in a business. How about he be transferred to Luoyang and serve as my subordinate officer? I will definitely give him a good future."
Fang Jun was a little embarrassed: "To be honest, Wang Xuance returned to Luoyang this time with the intention of relinquishing his errands at the company, but His Majesty intends to appoint him as the Prime Minister of the East Palace Family to serve the prince..."
Li Tai: "..."
One is his subordinate official, and the other is the Prime Minister of the Eastern Palace Family. How are the two comparable?
Li Tai suddenly lost interest and asked Wang Xuance: "Have you ever brought all the fireworks? Your boss has to fight with those aristocratic families, but they are all genuine lanterns, with long-lasting brilliance and eye-catching, no matter how gorgeous the fireworks are. But what can be compared with the moment of silence? Just burn them all, let me listen, and then drink quickly."
Wang Xuance saw sweat on his forehead and said in surprise: "All...all set off?"
Although you all have noble status, why don’t you fool around like this...
Ashina Zhongqi asked: "Did they bring a lot of fireworks?"
Wang Xuance forced a smile and looked at Fang Jun in reply to Ashina Zhong's question: "Luoyang is a transit place for companies in the Tang Dynasty. All kinds of goods and materials are stored in large quantities so that they can be dispatched to the country more quickly. Where needed, the sales of goods and materials from various places are balanced... There are more than 2,000 individual fireworks, not counting firecrackers, of various styles. ”
Ashina Tadashi took a breath: "So many?"
He had previously thought about setting off fireworks to join in the fun, but when he heard that there were so many, he looked at Fang Jun and said: "Why do we need so many? Just get a few dozen and set them off to boost the atmosphere."
Fireworks are a specialty of the Fang family's workshop, and there is no other one in the world, so outsiders don't know how much they cost, but the prices sold outside range from a few dollars to dozens of dollars. After all, this thing is a "secret stunt" "Ordinary people can neither afford nor know how to buy it, so they are originally supplied to wealthy families and dignitaries.
More than two thousand pieces...how much does this cost?
Even Ashina Tadashi, who has always been ambitious and dislikes money, felt trembling in his heart...
Fang Jun disagreed: "These Luoyang clan officials obviously intend to give His Highness and me a show of strength. They want to use lanterns to show off their wealth and organizational capabilities. If they don't respond, it will definitely encourage their arrogance and provoke them in the future." , How can we fulfill the important tasks entrusted by His Majesty? In this case, we must suppress his arrogance."
Li Tai agreed with Fang Jun's approach, but he felt heartache when he thought about how many fireworks would be burned down. He hesitated and said: "There may not be any other way, why waste so much money."
Fang Jun waved his hand and said with a smile: "Anything that can be done with money in the world is the simplest and most effective way. After all, if something can be avoided with money, is it still a problem?"
He ordered Wang Xuance: "Take people to find an open space in the workshop and set off all the fireworks."
"Here!"
Wang Xuance did not dare to say anything, so he quickly retreated and led people to place the fireworks and wait for them to be set off.
Li Tai patted his thigh and felt refreshed: "It will take some time to arrange so many fireworks. Why don't we move to the flower hall in front, drink and enjoy the fireworks, and feel the magnificence and beauty of 'Thousands of Flowering Trees Blooming on an East Wind Night'" , what do you think?”
Ashina patted his palm loyally and said, "It's true!"
He was born in the Turkic royal family. He grew up riding horses on the grasslands outside the Great Wall and developed a rough and open-minded character. However, since he joined the Tang Dynasty, he has always been careful and cautious because of his special status. They are all cautious and obedient, not daring to be careless in the slightest, and act more and more cautiously, walking on thin ice.
Now Fang Jun's behavior is very consistent with his temperament. He has never encountered such a wild style in many years. How can he be less excited than meeting a close friend?
The three of them immediately went to the flower hall in the front yard, and the cook prepared the wine and food. Li Tai opened a jar of wine himself, filled the wine glass, and raised his glass: "In a foreign country, it is the festival, and it is great to have two close friends. Having a few drinks is one of the great pleasures in life! Come on, I’d like to give you a drink. ”
“Drink wins!”
The two raised their glasses to each other and drank it all in one gulp.
"Chi-bang!" A firework rose from the ground, swaying its flame tail, and suddenly exploded in the night sky, blooming into a bright red firework.
Ashina Zhong was suddenly excited, clapped his hands and shouted: "This is good!"
Before he finished speaking, he saw fireworks soaring into the sky, densely packed, and making "bang bang bang" explosions. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the dark night, and countless fireworks complemented each other, rising and falling one after another. Like stars falling and lotus growing on the ground, it illuminates most of the night sky in Luoyang City with colorful and brilliant lights.
A sensation throughout the city!
Even though the city of Luoyang has been prosperous since ancient times, and its residents pride themselves on being well-informed, they still find it difficult to resist the shock of such a large-scale display of fireworks. The beauty of the night sky with fireworks in full bloom and stars falling like rain has never been possible in the world. enjoy?
The auspicious animal lanterns, lantern riddles and delicacies were all forgotten by the common people. The crowd surged towards Shangshanfang like a tide. Many people who had never been out before also rushed out, raising their heads and admiring the night sky in ecstasy. Looking at the gorgeous scenery, he subconsciously approached Shangshanfang where the fireworks were set off.
"Mom! Whose fireworks are these?"
"I have seen fireworks before, but when have I seen so many and so grand?"
"Hey! This one is big enough and dazzling enough. I set off a few before when the head of the Yu family celebrated his birthday. It is said that the value of such a firework is twenty pieces!"
"Mom! How much do these fireworks set off now cost? I'm afraid they cost thousands!"
"It must be more than that. It's not over yet."
"Don't look at the extravagant and luxurious life of those wealthy families. They can't afford to let it go. Didn't you see that the place of setting it off is Shangshanfang? This is His Highness the King of Wei enjoying himself with the people."
"Is King Wei so rich?"
"The King of Wei may not have that much money, but Fang Er does! Don't look at the wealthy families in Luoyang City who made a lot of lanterns for the Lantern Festival today, but even if they are tied together, they can't be as rich as Fang Er!" Besides, you don’t have to have money to do this. There are so many fireworks that other people can’t buy even if Fang Er can afford them.”