Gently twist the knob on the lamp, let the wick slowly rise, watch the soybean-sized flame quickly grow into a "leaf", and then turn the knob upside down, looking at the leaf-sized flame, slowly shrinking into a "soybean", Ying Tianshenlong Emperor Li Xian's face is full of happiness and comfort

This bronze alcohol lamp is one of his favorite New Year's gifts. Although the price is not necessarily that expensive, the light emitted by the lamp is far less bright than that of a candle.

There is no other reason, everything is in the word "control". No matter how bright the flame of beeswax is, no matter how good it smells. After ignition, there is no change in brightness. And the bronze alcohol lamp in front of him, Li Xian wants to make it brighter, it will become brighter, if he wants to make it darker, it will be darkened, as long as he turns the knob, he can do whatever he wants.

In front ......of the imperial book case, there was a sudden sound of slight footsteps like a mouse walking, but it was the old eunuch Gao Yanfu who bowed his body and quietly replaced the tea soup that had been cooled on the desk with hot tea. Then he walked backwards to the door, and handed the remnant tea, along with the cup and lacquer plate, to the palace maid who was in charge of serving the meal, and from beginning to end, Li Xian did not feel any interference.

Ying Tianshen Dragon Emperor Li Xian admired Gao Yanfu's eyesight. Smiled and put down the alcohol lamp, and tapped the table with his hand, "Senior Eunuch, prepare paper and pen for me, I want to paint." ”

"Yes!" Gao Yanfu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly trotted to carry out the order. Although the age has long passed the sixtieth year, the movements look a little neater than those of young people in their twenties. It only took seven or eight breaths before and after, and all the utensils needed for painting were placed in a position that Li Xian was satisfied with.

"Hmm!" Li Xian nodded at Gao Yanfu, grabbed the brush that had been fed with thick ink, and hooked it on the paper. After a while, an old cow carrying a weight has jumped on the paper.

Compared to his calligraphy, his painting skills are clearly superior. Although he didn't paint any color, the tired body and tough eyes of the old cow were clearly expressed. The treacherous mountains and rivers behind the cow and the smooth road in front of the cow also made the viewer feel a sense of relaxation and happiness in his heart. It's as if I've just gotten through a difficult hurdle and have traveled thousands of miles from before.

"Holy good pen power!" Gao Yanfu was so impressed that he immediately opened his mouth to praise. It's as if speaking quietly is not enough to express the true feeling in your heart.

"Hmm!" Li Xian smiled, continued to pick up the pen, and added dark clouds, suns, and rainbows to the picture. It makes the whole picture more vivid, and more clearly shows the difficulties of the past and the future can be expected.

In the past three years, he himself has been this cow, and the one he carries on his back is Datang. He used all his strength, and even paid the price of a son, and finally got rid of the five powerful ministers, killed Wu Sansi, and uprooted the power of Buddhism from the court. Next, what awaits Datang and him will be sunny.

"Holy good pen power!" Gao Yanfu praised again in time, and his voice suddenly became a little hoarse.

"Hmm!" Li Xian's nose was also faintly sour, put down the pen, shook his head with a smile, "Whether the pen is good or bad, I have done my best." Yanfu, framed the painting for me, and hung it in my study. I ......"

After a pause, he continued, "It's almost the New Year, and I have to give myself a little reward." You say, yes and no? ”

"The Holy One must be the Emperor of the Ages!" Gao Yanfu did not answer his words directly, but chose to bow down and praise loudly.

"Eternal Mingjun doesn't count on it! can hand over the queen mother back to the country and clean it up like that, even if it lives up to my father's expectations! Li Xian let out a long breath and shook his head with a smile again.

It was a matter of royal grievances, and Gao Yanfu did not dare to speak. I had to go to the table and pretend to look at the painting carefully. And Li Xian, the Emperor of the Heavenly God Dragon, also knew that his words just now had lost his imperial bearing. smiled and decisively diverted the topic, "Senior Eunuch, you recently took people out of the palace to buy, how is the liveliness and prosperity of the eastern and western cities compared to last year?" ”

"Playing the Holy Spirit, prosperous and lively, even better than last year!" The answer has long been a routine, and it is the same regardless of the real situation. However, the same words, coming out of Gao Yanfu's mouth, carried a strong sense of pride, and as soon as people heard it, they felt that what he said was true.

"Well, it's better to be more prosperous than last year!" Obviously he had already expected what kind of answer he would get from Gao Yanfu's mouth, but Li Xian still nodded happily. Immediately, he casually asked: "Are there any novelty goods?" Or a rare treasure that was not common before? Alas——, I have become the emperor myself, and it is difficult to leave the palace even a single step, and I can only listen to the news of the people from your mouths. ”

"Even if you leave the palace, the officials below won't let you see the truth!" Gao Yanfu muttered quietly in his stomach, but he replied very solemnly: "If you go back to the saint, my Tang Dynasty is rich all over the world, and the rare treasures that were not common in the past have not appeared on the market for the time being." However, the Chinese New Year is approaching, and there are a lot of novelty daily goods. In addition to the water stove and stove that are already in the palace, there is also a kind of wind gourd that can blow the wind, which is much better than the wind naan. Shake it with your hand, and the wind will flow. ”

"Wind gourd, I really haven't seen it before, have you bought it in the palace?" Li Xian's curiosity was immediately aroused, and he asked with a smile with round eyes.

"If you go back to the Holy Heavens, you don't need to buy it. The wind gourd is a new trick specially conceived by the ordnance supervisor in order to blow wind on the alchemy furnace. At present, everything that is sold outside is definitely not as sophisticated as the armory superintendent himself. And the ordnance supervisor also gave a batch directly to the imperial dining room in the palace. Gao Yanfu thought about it and explained with a smile.

"Oh!" Li Xian nodded with satisfaction, and felt more and more appreciative of the weapons superintendent.

"Also, there is a kind of jujube sold by a big food vendor, which is as sweet as candied fruit." Secretly glancing at Li Xian's eyes, Gao Yanfu continued to report, "There is also a kind of snowflake salt, the quality is still above the green salt, and there is no bitterness at all. There is also a kind of tenzhu cotton cloth, which is white and soft, smooth like silk......"

I said dozens of them in one breath, each of which is a new commodity on the market this year. What is rare is that each of them happens to fall within the range of Li Xian's approximate appearance after a little pondering, and he can guess its color, shape, use, etc. without even pondering!

When Li Xian, the Emperor of the Heavenly Dragon heard this, his mood became more and more relaxed. After thinking about it, he suddenly had an idea, and discussed with Gao Yanfu in a low voice: "Senior Supervisor, how about you find some reliable vendors to set up a stall by the Taiye Pool to sell goods?" It's the New Year, and I also want to experience the joy of the folk! ”

"Holy Lord, the old slave doesn't dare to call the shots in this matter!" Gao Yanfu was taken aback, quickly lowered his head, and responded cautiously, "The old slave is just a prison general, and if the saint wants to have fun with the people, he needs to discuss with the left and right servants first, and then coordinate with the officials of the three provinces to formulate a specific charter." Old slave here......"

"Forget it!" Li Xian was suddenly splashed with cold water on his head, and interrupted in a relaxed manner. "Xiao Servant shoots that level, I will definitely not be able to pass it."

"If the saint just wants to add some New Year's atmosphere, the old slave can let the eunuchs and palace ladies set up a few stalls. The goods are all according to the common ones on the market, and the price also refers to the outside! Gao Yanfu suddenly began to worry that Li Xian had nothing to do during the Chinese New Year, and he came up with some new tricks to toss himself, so he hurriedly whispered to the side.

"That's a good idea, you can implement it as soon as you go down. On the day of the New Year, I want to bring the holy queen to the market together! Li Xian immediately smiled, rubbing his hands and eagerly trying. (Note: Non-fiction, in the official history, Li Xian did this.) also brought civil and military officials to bargain together. ）

"Slave obeys!" Gao Yanfu secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and hurriedly surrendered his order.

Li Xian's interest in shopping is difficult to calm down quickly. He pointed to the inkstone on the bookcase, and asked with a smile: "Is there such a thing on the market, how much is it worth?" ”

It was a piece of Qingzhou red silk inkstone, and it had long been priceless on the market. Gao Yanfu didn't dare to tell the truth, thought about it again and again, and responded in a low voice: "Qi Shengshang, this is Qingzhou inkstone is a tribute, and the people must not spread it." However, it is not difficult to find second-class goods on the market. It's about 200 to 500 yuan, and the quality of it is particularly good, and it may be sold for more than three hangings. (Note: Qingzhou inkstone, see Liu Gongquan's "On Yan", Qingzhou is the first cloud.) ）

"So expensive?" Li Xian was stunned, a little unable to believe his ears. When he was in Luling, the whole family ate and wore more than ten hangings every month. If it costs three hangs to buy an inkstone, it is obvious that the family has already drunk the northwest wind.

"Since this inkstone can be used as a tribute, it is natural that it is more expensive!" Gao Yanfu had already prepared a rhetoric in his stomach, and explained with a smile, "If it is an ordinary person, the inkstone made of pottery can actually be used." The price is only ten or twenty wen, which is far cheaper than all kinds of stone inkstones. ”

"Oh!" Li Xian finally came to his senses, groaned and nodded slightly. Immediately, he grabbed brushes, mercury paper, pine ink and other common objects around him, and asked about the selling prices in the market one by one.

Most of those objects were tributes for the royal family, so how could they be bought casually on the market? However, Gao Yanfu had to make up a reasonable price based on common sense in life to satisfy his curiosity. As a result, the more Li Xian asked, the happier he became, the more curious he became, pointing and pointing, and he asked almost everything he could see in the room. Gao Yanfu was so tired that his head was dizzy and sweaty.

"What about this copper lamp, what is the price on the market?" There was almost nothing more to ask, Li Xian still had a lingering interest in his heart, grabbed the bronze alcohol lamp in his hand, and asked with a smile.

"Qi Song Sheng, this, the people have nowhere to buy it!" Gao Yanfu was so tired that he couldn't support it, so he decisively chose to tell the truth.

"Can't buy it, why?" Li Xian was slightly taken aback, rubbing the smooth lamp and digging into the roots.

In his opinion, the bronze alcohol lamp is beautiful and convenient, and there is no smell of oil smoke when burning. It should be very popular in the market. And Zhang Qian, who donated this thing to himself, is known as "Little Fan Li", and there is no reason not to see the beautiful "money scene" of this thing.

"Enlighten the Holy One, this thing is easy to use. But the gunpowder could only be made by the Ordnance Supervisor, and it was never sold on the market. Something finally attracted Li Xian's attention, Gao Yanfu wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead and added.

"Oh, I forgot about it!" Regrettably putting down the bronze alcohol lamp, Li Xian shook his head with a smile, "Isn't there also a set of alchemy furnaces in Young Eunuch Zhang's house?" Could it be that all the gunpowder that was refined was also sent to the treasury of the military department? ”

"Qi Song Sheng, his family's alchemy furnace was set on fire at the beginning of the month. A new stove has not yet been built. Gao Yanfu couldn't judge whether Li Xian's focus was on whether it was circulating in the world where the bronze alcohol lamp could not be circulated, or whether Zhang Qian's gunpowder was sold privately, so he hesitated for a moment and chose to tell the truth again.

"Burned?" Li Xian was slightly stunned again, and then remembered that Zhang Qian's family had been attacked by the Buddhist Sect, and his smile suddenly became a little stiff, "I actually forgot about this matter!" How is he recovering from a leg injury now? This time, he entrusted his junior brother to give me a New Year's gift, but did he ever ask me? ”

"Back to the saint and asked, Young Eunuch Zhang's leg injury is not a big obstacle, but he is still a little lame when he walks!" Gao Yanfu tried hard to figure out Li Xian's intentions, but found that his efforts were in vain, so he had to continue to report truthfully, "Therefore, he specially wrote a note to the saint and asked to continue to recuperate at home for some time." Other requests, the old slave has not heard his junior brother talk about it for the time being. ”

"Well, his excerpt from leave, I have already approved it!" Li Xian nodded, the expression on his face was actually a little unwilling.

With the increasing control of foreign Korea, his news has become more and more well-informed. I have long learned that my sister Princess Taiping, with the help of the big food merchant, suppressed the fact that the Six Gods Trading Company. And through the Hundred Riders, I have investigated many details that outsiders can't even imagine.

As the king of a country, he has long been familiar with this kind of "low-level" struggle between his courtiers. And as long as the two sides do not evolve to the point of gathering cronies and attacking each other, he will usually choose to turn a blind eye. Even if one of the parties is his own sister-in-law.

After all, there are contradictions between the ministers, which is conducive to him finding out whether everyone is doing things for the country. And the harmony between the ministers will make him visually and visually blocked, and then face the risk of being raised as a puppet.

But this time, he was ready to make an exception to support Zhang Qian. No, for this person, he can always make some utensils that benefit the country and the people to help him solve problems. Even if this person is a courtier of the Tang Dynasty, and his sister Princess Taiping is standing behind the foreign traders, it is worth his action to be the abbot fairly.

It's a pity that from the twenty-third day of the lunar month to the twenty-eighth of the lunar month, seeing that all the yamen of the imperial court have sealed their official seals and are on vacation, he still hasn't received Zhang Qian's call for help. I have not even received a single message asking for mediation.

This made him very puzzled and itchy. As the emperor, if the courtiers don't come to ask for help, Li Xian can't take the initiative. Otherwise, it is not only easy for the outside world to misunderstand that he killed Princess Taiping, but also easy to make Zhang Qian pampered and proud in the future.

"Holy Lord, please allow the old slave to retire first and prepare for the opening of the palace market!" After all, it is not the roundworm in Li Xian's stomach, no matter how smart Gao Yanfu is, he can't guess why Li Xian regrets it. He hesitated for a moment and whispered a plea.

"Well, you go down! It's almost the New Year, and you don't have to follow me every day, just arrange someone with vision to do it for you," Li Xian has always taken care of the people he trusted, smiled, and ordered in passing.

However, before Gao Yanfu could thank him, he suddenly asked quickly, "Have you heard about the suppression of the Six Gods Trading Bank?" I heard that it was Young Eunuch Zhang's property. He has always treated you like an elder, and he will never get into trouble, so he won't say a word to you! ”

"Initiating the saint, in the heart of the old slave, there is only the saint, and there are no juniors and family members!" Gao Yanfu was so frightened that he shuddered, and hurriedly bowed down to confess. After discovering that Li Xian had no intention of refutating, he cautiously added, "The matter of the Six Gods Firm, Young Eunuch Zhang has never mentioned it to the old slave. The old slave is just, the old slave just heard a few ears next to him when he summoned Chief Zheng to interrogate a few days ago. The old slave thought that even if he was really the elder of Zhang Shaojian, there was no need to stand up for him at this moment. What's more, the old slave just saw that he was doing things for the saint quite wholeheartedly, so he looked down on him. ”

"Why?" Li Xian ignored Gao Yanfu's dismissal, and just smiled and asked the reason why he stood by and watched.

"He's a holy courtier!" Finding that Li Xian was not angry, Gao Yanfu figured out the other party's thoughts, and explained frankly with a face, "The saint's appreciation of him is his greatest reliance." As for the Six Gods Trading House, no matter how much money is made every day, it is just something outside the body. Even if it is gone, the Holy Lord will reward him with some, which will be enough for him to eat and drink for a few lifetimes, so why bother to go far?! ”

"Oh! I appreciate him more than his firms? Li Xian was photographed so comfortably, he laughed, "Indeed, I will reward him casually, it will be enough for him to eat and drink for a few lifetimes!" Haha, that's the truth! I said why didn't he come to ask me for help, but he rushed to give me a New Year's gift? So it's all because of this! ”

"The old slave just told the truth, told the truth!" Gao Yanfu lowered his head and confessed continuously, as if he was the most honest person in the world.

"Just tell the truth! I love to hear the truth from people! Li Xian was in a very happy mood, smiled and waved at him, "You go and prepare the palace market, I don't have anything to do with you here." Remember to arrange more manpower and goods, maybe one day I will bring officials above the third grade into the palace to purchase, lest they have been officials for a long time and don't know the people's suffering! ”

"The old slave obeys the order, and the old slave retires!" Gao Yanfu's stomach suddenly had bitter water, but he could only go down and prepare.

"My appreciation of him is his greatest reliance!" Retracting his gaze to the bookcase, the more Li Xian chewed, the more he felt that Gao Yanfu's words were especially for his appetite.

In this way, it is good to let Princess Zhang Qianping's subordinates suffer a big loss. Just when he spent money to buy a lesson, he knew that it was not so simple to be an official and a businessman at the same time. The more fetters he has outside his body, the easier it is for others to find opportunities to suppress him. It's better to give up these things outside the body and simply be a loyal minister.

However, when Zhang Qian suffered this big loss, he should give him no less comfort. lest he be too young to withstand the blow and be completely chilled by the royal family. And Princess Taiping's side, it's really time to beat it again. The matter of her secret collusion with Wu Sansi is not without real evidence in her own hands. It's just that she didn't want to slaughter her relatives like her mother, so when someone argued for her, she pushed the boat down the river and gave up the investigation. And what about her, it's only been a few days since she's been honest? Actually jumped out again to stir up the wind and rain?

Thinking of this, Li Xian's good mood disappeared, and in his place, there was a burst of irritability that was difficult to contain.

His own sister, Princess Taiping, has a personality that is most like his mother, and her desire for power is not below his mother. Although he did not have enough support among the royal family and his courtiers, he could not pose a threat to his throne. But if you keep letting it mess around, it will be trouble sooner or later.

And the last thing he wants to see is cannibalism among his family members. His two elder brothers died at the hands of his mother, and his eldest son and one of his most sensible daughters was also ordered by his mother to be killed with a rod. In his life, he has seen too many relatives turn against each other, and the more he hates his mother Wu Zetian, the more unwilling he is to be a tyrant like Wu Zetian.

"Holy Lord, is it who is making you unhappy again?! Say it to the concubine, and the concubine will find a way to clean him up with you! Empress Wei Wushuang's voice suddenly sounded from the opposite side of the bookcase, interrupting Li Xian's thoughts instantly.

"Nothing to be unhappy about!" Li Xian glanced at his wife, shook his head with a forced smile, "Taiping is relying on power to bully a courtier, I was thinking about how to deal with this matter just now!" ”

"It's Taiping, I don't know who was unlucky this time and hit her blade again?" It's about her husband's sister, even if Empress Wei doesn't like this person anymore, she has to pretend to be unhelpful first, smiled and asked softly.

"It's Taiping, and I fell in love with Zhang Shaojian's Six Gods Trading House again!" Li Xian's face was slightly red when he was asked, and he felt ashamed in front of his wife for his sister.

"Huh? She's too much, too! Empress Wei's eyes widened exaggeratedly, and then she quickly raised her hand to cover her red lips, "Then she may not be able to get what she wants, that young eunuch is not an ordinary person." ”

"No longer an ordinary person, he can't stand the calculations of Taiping!" Li Xian knew that his wife was still haunted by the defeat of Buddhism by Zhang Qian some time ago, so he smiled and responded in a low voice, "My sister is not effective in doing other things, and she calculates people, but she is linked to one link. ”

"Is the Holy One ready to stop the peace?" Neither party liked it, but compared to the guy who provoked his daughter and hindered the cooperation between Buddhism and himself, Empress Wei still felt that Princess Taiping was closer, so she simply smiled and proposed to Li Xian, "The concubine thinks that the saint might as well slow down." That young eunuch Zhang has a very high heart, and if the saint helps him at this time, he may not feel the importance that the saint attaches to him. And Taiping, too, will feel that the saint, as an elder brother, has helped outsiders. ”

"Huh?" Although this proposal coincided with Li Xian's own thoughts, Li Xian still replied with a deep groan.

"Anyway, we haven't seen it yet, so the saint might as well take a second look. Perhaps, that young eunuch can give the saint an unexpected surprise! Since experiencing the attack on Buddhism, Wei Wushuang couldn't grasp his husband's thoughts, hesitated, and continued to add in a low voice.

"Hmm!" This time, Li Xian finally nodded slightly. The slightly fat face was suddenly full of tiredness.

………………

"Second brother, Guo Renyi, the shopkeeper of the Liushen Commercial Bank, sent a guy to send an invitation letter to all the VIPs, inviting them to come on or after the Yuan Festival, saying that there are new goods to be taken out, and thank the VIPs for their support to the firm!" In the abandoned mansion of the Zhengfang, the fat fourth brother Wu Yanshou raised his bulging face and reported with a smile the news he had recently collected.

"What's new? Can you inquire? Wu Yanxiu, who had just recovered from a serious illness, was pale, but his eyes were as sharp as a knife.

"I don't know!" Wu Yanshou shook his head with a smile, "At present, I only know that all the customers with VIP cards have received invitations. According to the observation of the family, the Liushen Trading House is still accepting reservations from Hualu, and there is no sign that it is about to change hands or close. ”

"It's just a dead end!" A masked warrior kid interjected disdainfully beside him. Anyway, he didn't say what it was new. On the day of the Shangyuan Festival, just take out something to make up the story. Then, one more day can be delayed! ”

"It should be to hold on to the death, and then when you try to change hands, you won't be too ruthless by Princess Taiping's people!"

"What Princess Taiping has taken a fancy to, there is no precedent that she can't get! It's a pity that Princess Taiping has always liked to eat alone! ”

"Hmm. Duan Huaijian personally admitted that he had withdrawn his investment. The Kui Guo Mansion and the Qian Guo Mansion are both knights who were re-given the year before last, and they don't have the strength to provoke Princess Taiping! ”

……

Discussions alternated, and all the children of the Wu clan who came to the party were not optimistic about the results of the Six Gods Trading House. It's just a little regretful that I can't get any benefit from it.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem......" A heart-wrenching coughing sound suddenly sounded, and the noisy discussion was instantly shattered.

Everyone looked at the source of the coughing sound, only to see Wu Yanxiu covering his mouth with his hands, and his face flushed abnormally. However, he refused Wu Yanshou to come forward to help, and forcibly suppressed his desire to cough, and then whispered, "Princess Taiping may not win." Fourth, the original plan stopped first. ”

"Stop?" Even if he kept obeying him, the fat man Wu Yanshou couldn't understand this decision, and his voice was full of suspicion. "Second brother, why do you think Princess Taiping will lose?"

"Stop, sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight! Then, whoever wins, we're on whom's side! Raising his hand to wipe away a wisp of blood from the corner of his mouth, Wu Yanxiu's face suddenly became hideous,

"How is that possible? Even if the Six Gods Firm wins this time, it can't escape the princess's revenge! ”

"Second brother, the eldest princess of the peace, is not a master who can suffer. It's good that she won smoothly, but if she loses, she will definitely use all her skills to deal with Zhang Qian. ”

"Second brother, you're crazy!"

"Second brother, although you have eaten Princess Anle. It's not advisable to make a feud with the eldest princess now! ”

The surrounding martial arts children were in a hurry and protested one after another!

Wu Yanxiu, on the other hand, shook his head with a wild laugh, "I know, I know." Of course I know that Princess Taiping is not a person who can suffer! But if she loses, it's even more interesting! She can't afford to lose, so she will take the initiative to dig the roots of their Li family! Haha, haha, hahaha......hahahaha

"Quack, quack, quack......" A flock of jackdaws fluttered their wings in shock, like dark clouds, covering the starry sky overhead.