The reason why Liu Ze chose Qinglou as a trial point is that the business of Qinglou is bleak in winter, and the use of coal and charcoal stoves for heating can recall many guests, as long as the business is prosperous, Bustard Niang will not care about a few charcoal money; Second, most of the people who patronize the Qing Lou are princes and grandsons, and big businessmen, who are either rich or expensive, so that these people can feel the wonders of the charcoal stove will naturally have great benefits for the next promotion plan.

Soon after, Liu Ze quickly opened the sales market of coal and stone in Luoyang with modern business thinking, and the dignitaries, businessmen and wealthy families and even the palace all used coal and stone for heating, and then the mining volume increased greatly, and the coal and stone entered the homes of the common people, and gradually replaced firewood to become the first choice for heating by fire, and was widely used in blacksmith shops, brick factories, magnetic kilns and various handicrafts, and thus gave birth to the early steam engine, towards the road of industrialization.

Historians list the discovery and application of coal and stone at the top of the four major discoveries (not the four major inventions), but there are many criticisms of its original origin and application in Qinglou, thinking that the discovery that changed an era should at least be great, but its origin is so that piao customers do not freeze JJ after taking off their pants, which is more or less ashamed.

Liu Ze came out of Yihong Mansion, and thought that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so he and Guan Zhang and the others casually found a restaurant to eat. Seeing Liao Liao, a guest in the restaurant, he did the same and offered the shopkeeper to provide the stove and coal stone for free. For a good thing that is almost equal to pie in the sky, the shopkeeper of the restaurant hurriedly agreed.

When he returned to the market, Liu Ze immediately changed the price card to double the price of charcoal, which was equal to four times the original price. His price change immediately attracted a ridicule from the charcoal sellers around him, and the original low price did not sell a catty, but the price would rise, and everyone laughed at Liu Ze's head for fear of being kicked by the donkey.

Liu Ze was unmoved, although he didn't sell a pound of coal that day, his price never changed. On the third day, Mingyufang, Lichunyuan and other Qinglouji courtyards on Zhangtai Street sent people to purchase stoves and coal. It turned out that after Yihong Mansion used coal and stone for heating, the number of customers increased greatly, and the business was as hot as spring and summer, which attracted the jealousy of other green buildings.

In the following days, restaurants, inns and inns have come to buy, and then a few days later, Wang Sun Guan, businessmen and wealthy households have also joined the ranks of buying, for a time the city is crowded, the post is endless, the name of coal and stone spreads all over Luoyang, although the price has risen to four or five times that of charcoal, but it is difficult to stop people's enthusiasm for buying. This time, the dozens of iron furnaces brought by Liu Ze were the first to be sold out.

However, Liu Ze is not in a hurry, there are many blacksmith shops in Luoyang City, and it is very easy to build an iron furnace. After the blacksmith shop used coal and stone as fuel, the efficiency was greatly improved, and many shopkeepers were grateful to Liu Ze, and naturally attached great importance to Liu Ze's bid to build an iron furnace, and later other businesses also built hundreds of iron furnaces for Liu Ze, which were well made, far better than the iron furnaces made in Quyang.

Liu Ze is very satisfied, the skills of Luoyang craftsmen are really higher than those in other places, and he only needs to exchange coal and stone for huàn, no cash is required, which is really convenient and fast. It's just that there are only 100 trucks of coal and stone carried this time, and the inventory is not much for more than ten days, so we have to start transporting it from Yangquan immediately.

Guan Yu volunteered and asked to go to Yangquan to escort the coal. Liu Ze secretly thought that this journey was far away, if it weren't for the powerful person, he would not dare to entrust this important task, seeing Guan Yu asking for his life, he was overjoyed, so he arranged a vehicle, and purchased a large amount of daily necessities, carrying 10,000 taels of gold, and told Guan Yu to go to Phoenix Valley first to hand over the gold and items to Guan Hai and then go straight to Yangquan. Guan Yu responded and led the crowd to set off immediately.

Jian Yong's acquisition of Shu brocade is also coming to an end, due to the large number of acquisitions, the price of Shu brocade that was unsalable has risen slightly, but due to the large inventory of Shu brocade in the Luoyang market, the merchants are not optimistic about the market of Shu brocade, the rise is not too large, and nearly 50,000 horses of Shu brocade have been eaten for more than half a month. Liu Ze ordered that Shu brocade be hoarded in four warehouses on the outskirts of the city and stored secretly, and all of them could only enter and not leave. Subsequently, the news of the rebellion of Yizhou Yizhou Ba County reached Beijing, and public opinion was in an uproar, and the price of Shu brocade naturally skyrocketed.

Everyone admired Liu Ze's five-body casting, and they all asked him how he had such an accurate prediction ability, Liu Ze smiled and said nothing, but just ordered that no matter what the market price was, not a single horse of Shu brocade stored in it should not be sold. He knew very well that the Persian merchants had not yet returned to Luoyang, and once they returned to buy a large number of Shu brocades, the price of Shu brocade would not know how many times higher than now. Jian Yong and the others were already convinced, and they implemented Liu Ze's arrangement to the letter.

Approaching the wax moon, the weather is cold and frozen, dripping into ice, the coal and stone in the market has been out of stock, and the people who surround the market every day do not disperse for a long time, urging when the coal and stone will arrive. Among them was the bustard lady of Yihong Mansion, who personally went to the city to beg Liu Ze to sell her some coal stones. At the end of the one-month probationary period, Yihong Mansion, which had no coal and stone heating, naturally had no guests coming to the door, and Feng Erniang was so anxious that she couldn't wait to kowtow to Liu Ze.

Liu Ze is also in a hurry, Guan Yu has been gone for a few days, and it stands to reason that he should return.

Zhang Fei couldn't help muttering: "Second brother Mo didn't want to get rich, so he swallowed the 10,000 taels of gold and went back to his hometown in Hedong." ”

Others can't believe it, but Liu Ze didn't have the slightest suspicion of the loyal and righteous Guan Yu, and when he heard Zhang Fei's words, he reprimanded him: "Third brother, Hugh is nonsense, although Yun Chang and you and I have not been friends for a long time, he is righteous and will never do anything treacherous." ”

Zhang Fei also felt embarrassed, and said: "What the eldest brother said is reasonable, I also know that the second brother is a loyal and righteous person, so he is just guessing and talking nonsense, and when the second brother comes back, you must not mention this matter." ”

Liu Ze scolded him with a smile and said, "Are you ......?"

While talking, the next person came to report that the second master was back. Liu Ze and Zhang Fei hurriedly greeted them, and Guan Yu saw Liu Ze and gave a salute first. Liu Ze saw that he was in the dust and his body had lost a few points, he was greatly moved, and he hurriedly put his hands together and said, "Second brother, it's hard work!" ”

"It snowed heavily in Jizhou, and there was a lot of delay on the road, which made my brother worried."

"The delay is small, and some goods are outside the body, as long as Yun Chang returns safely, I am also at ease."

Guan Yu saw that Liu Ze's concern was overflowing, and he was grateful in his heart, and said: "My brother is fortunate not to disgrace his life, although the road is difficult and difficult, none of the three hundred carts of coal and stone are missing, please accept it." ”

"Leave other things aside for the time being, the eldest brother has booked a banquet at Yuelai Restaurant to catch the wind and wash the dust for you." At that time, he ordered the guys to unload the coal and stone on the market and sell it, and he and Zhang Fei accompanied Guan Yu to the Yuelai Restaurant to drink.

Guan Yu said to Liu Ze: "Big brother, there is something in front of the pipe that I want me to hand over to you personally." ”

Liu Zewei was stunned and said, "What is it?" Isn't it ......" While speaking, Guan Yu had already sent someone to bring in something, and Liu Ze was overjoyed, it was the Taishi chair that he wanted to make for Guan Hai. After a month, Guan Hai really made it according to the drawing style. Guan Hai personally built the Taishi chair for Liu Ze using the best Huanghuali, exquisite workmanship, every place has been carefully polished, and covered with varnish, the wooden texture is clearly visible, the chair is covered with a whole piece of money leopard skin, according to Guan Yu said that this leopard was personally hunted by Guan Hai from the deep mountains. Liu Ze sat on the chair, indescribably comfortable and comfortable, since he came to the Han Dynasty, he had never sat so comfortably, and he knelt on the mat all day long, which was really a sin.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei watched Liu Ze leaning on the back of the chair and squinting his eyes, humming a little song, intoxicated with enjoyment, they had never seen this thing, they were puzzled, and they couldn't figure out what Liu Ze was beautiful.

Liu Ze said with a smile: "Two virtuous brothers, you also sit up and enjoy it." ”

Guan Yu shook his head and said, "Sitting like this is rude." ”

Zhang Fei was not polite, sat down on the ground, and laughed: "The craftsmanship in front of the pipe is good, it is quite sturdy, this leopard skin is good, soft and warm." ”

Liu Ze said to Guan Yu: "Sitting should be a kind of rest, kneeling on the mat can only be called guilty, this has nothing to do with etiquette, second brother, you sit up and try, it is definitely a kind of enjoyment." ”

"This chair was specially ordered for the eldest brother in front of the child, and a total of four chairs were sent in front of the child this time, as well as a table."

"Very good, four chairs, just one for the three of us and one for Jian Yong, that table must be the Eight Immortals Table, very good, very good, I will use it for office and dinner in the future."

After that, the sales of coal and stone were still very hot, and Liu Ze, who thought he had nothing to do this winter, made a lot of money. In the blink of an eye, the winter is exhausted, and the New Year is approaching.

At that time, there were no fireworks and firecrackers, but it did not prevent people from celebrating the New Year. On Chinese New Year's Eve, Liu Ze ordered the guys to close the door early and prepared a sumptuous banquet in the hall.

The current table is Guan Hai's Eight Immortals Table made of yellow rosewood, four Taishi chairs made of yellow rosewood, except for the first one covered with leopard skin, the other three are covered with wolf skin. The following eight tables were just built by Liu Ze a few days ago by a carpenter in the capital, using ordinary willow wood, and a long bench was placed next to each table, which was also made together. The table is full of delicacies from the mountains and seas, wine and delicacies.