"Good wine, good wine!" The emperor praised highly, then closed his eyes and tasted it carefully. After a while, he opened his eyes with a look of surprise on his face, "Hey, this wine can actually improve my cultivation, and it has also cured my heart that has been suffering for many years.
disease!"
Lu Bai thought that your acting skills were too exaggerated. Just for a moment, it was enough to show that you had improved your cultivation. You are not a practitioner like a wicked monk, so you can detect the nourishment in it.
Just as he finished his slander, Eunuch Bai said again, "Improving your cultivation level is nothing more than prolonging the emperor's life. Prolonging the emperor's life is nothing more than making great contributions to our country forever. Mr. Lu offered wine and cured the emperor's long-worried disease."
A disease of the heart is a great meritorious service. Your Majesty, you should be rewarded."
The emperor pondered for a while and said, "I remember that Commander Lu was born in Shuobei City. In this case, Commander Lu was granted the title of Marquis of Shuobei and he was granted the title of Shuobei City."
Eunuch Bai was surprised and quickly turned around to congratulate Lu Bai, "Master Lu, congratulations. You are the first person to be granted a title by the Emperor since he ascended the throne."
Lu Bai was a little confused, "Is this the end?"
He still wants money.
The emperor's face looked slightly cold.
"Ahem." Eunuch Bai coughed dryly and said with a dry smile, "Master Lu was so happy that he felt overwhelmed for a moment."
He approached Lu Bai, pulled Lu Bai's sleeves, and then bowed and said: "The emperor just drank the fairy brew, he should go and rest early."
The emperor's expression became gentler, he looked at Lu Bai and walked towards the bedroom.
After the emperor's figure disappeared, Eunuch Bai turned his head. Just as he was about to speak, Lu Bai already spoke rudely, "Old Bai, one glass of this wine is enough. I'm afraid that the emperor's body won't be able to hold on after two glasses.
You go and get it back."
Eunuch Bai knew what Lu Bai had in mind.
He pulled Lu Bai and walked outside Yuxi Palace, "My Lord Lu, hasn't the emperor already given you the money?"
Lu Bai was baffled as to why he didn't see where the money came from.
Seeing Lu Bai's confusion, Eunuch Bai hurriedly explained in a low voice: "The fief in Shuobei City, isn't this money? The fief, including taxes, everything is handed over to you, Lord Marquis."
Lu Bai was a little confused for a moment, "Wait a minute, Shuobei City is still in the hands of the Beiman, right?"
Isn’t this borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha?
No, it should be to grab flowers and offer them to Buddha.
Lu Bai can't get a penny from Shuobei City now, unless he destroys Shuobei City.
Lu Bai thought, could this be what the emperor had in mind?
"Master Hou, how could you be so smart all your life and so confused for a moment? It is true that Shuobei City is in the hands of the Northern Barbarians, but don't forget that Yongle City is one of the most important trade routes going north from the city. Every year, it passes through Yongle City.
Shuobei City brings in countless grains, silks, porcelain, and tea from the Northern Barbarians, and there are countless furs from the Northern Barbarians, not to mention that Shuobei City is close to Western Shu."
Lu Bai could make a lot of money every year just by relying on this tax alone.
"Oh, I understand." Lu Bai suddenly understood.
He is not in his position and does not plan his affairs, and he knows very little about taxation. Now that Eunuch Bai said this, he immediately understood. To put it bluntly, even though he is not in Shuobei City, he can still collect taxes in the name of Shuobeihou.
.
All goods imported and exported on the trade road in Shuobei City must pay taxes.
Lu Bai thought to himself, Shuobei City is at the junction of the Three Kingdoms, and it is a good way to get money. Besides, Yongle City is about to be in his hands. He will have the opportunity to control the customs duties in his own hands in the future.
superior.
The only problem now is who to recommend as the city lord.
Lu Bai still didn't have good manpower for a while.
He could only do as Lu Qinghuan said, wait for someone to come and recommend himself.
He summoned God last night. I think many people should regard him as the same as the eight major sects. Now he will be regarded as his secular power, right?
Lu Bai was thinking about this. Seeing that there was nothing in the palace, he said goodbye to Eunuch Bai.
Eunuch Bai had to take into account the emperor's condition after drinking the immortal wine, and also had to take care of the many affairs of the inner library that he had just taken over, so it was inconvenient to keep Lu Bai around, so he sent Lu Bai off after some pleasantries.
After Lu Bai left the palace, he looked around, thinking about going to Peach Blossom Temple to have a look, when a carriage came to him.
A young man got out of the car and saluted Lu Bai respectfully, "Shen Xi has met Mr. Lu."
"It should be called Mr. Hou." Lu Bai corrected him.
This Lord Marquis sounds much better than Master Lu. Besides, he paid for it with two glasses of wine. Wouldn't it be a loss if he didn't listen to it more?
The young man was stunned for a moment, then looked at Lu Bai in surprise, and hurriedly saluted again, "Shen Xi has met Lord Lu."
"Shen Xi?" Lu Bai felt like he had heard his name somewhere.
Shen Xi quickly reminded Lu Bai, "I saw Lu Da in the backyard of Meiji Cloth Village... Lord Marquis, you were investigating the case at that time."
"Oh." Lu Bai remembered.
Shen Xi was the second son of the head of the Shen family, and he came to Lian'er for money.
Lu Bai remembers him.
At that time, Shen Xi completely regarded Lu Bai as a passerby and didn't say a few words.
When Shen Xi saw Lu Bai remembering it, he hurriedly invited him: "My father is hosting a banquet in Juxian Pavilion in honor of the Marquis. I have been specially invited to invite him. I also hope that Marquis Lu can honor it."
Lu Baideng understood immediately that the Shen family saw that there was no way to the Jianzhai, so they immediately adjusted their strategy and came to find him.
This is really a pillow to use when you feel sleepy.
"OK."
Lu Bai nodded happily, then got on the carriage and went to Juxian Pavilion with Shen Xi.
In the car, Shen Xi still didn't say much, but instead of turning a blind eye as before, he was more in awe. However, he felt extremely awkward and could only peek at Lu Bai from time to time.
Lu Bai chuckled lightly, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and took a sip of wine from time to time.
Of course, what he drank was not the wine from the purple gourd, but medicinal wine.
Lu Bai understood Shen Xi's current mood very well.
As the saying goes, young people are young and vigorous. Young people do not feel that they are inferior to others. They feel that with their own abilities, they will definitely become famous one day and stand on the top of the admiration of thousands of people. Now they suddenly have to be respectful to a person of the same age, which makes them feel very sad. Uncomfortable.
This is normal.
Lu Bai is also young...
No, he was young to begin with. If there was no such thing as a panel, he would probably be like Shen Xi.
This is called Xin Qi'er.
The carriage moved extremely quietly, and before you knew it, you had arrived in front of the Juxian Pavilion.
Lu Bai got out of the car, looked at the sky, and saw a ray of sunlight appearing between the clouds. Unfortunately, the sunlight was too weak after all. Lu Bai knew that in this rainy season, it would have to rain for a while before the haze would disperse. All.
Lu Bai turned around and saw that the head of the Shen family, Shen Xi's father Shen Shixing, Shen Xi's brother Shen Yan, and several elders of the family were already waiting in front of the door.
Lu Bai took a special look and saw that Lian'er was not there. It seemed that Shopkeeper Shen of Meiji Clothing Village did not have a high status in the Shen family.
Of course, Lu Bai had no intention of improving Shopkeeper Shen's status, so he just asked Lian'er to be an undercover agent in the Shen family.
Lu Bai handed over to them, "I've kept you waiting for so long."
Just as Shen Shixing was about to speak, Shen Xi walked up to him and whispered in his ear. Then Shen Shixing said: "Congratulations to Mr. Lu Hou, who has been granted the title of Marquis. Mr. Lu is still the first emperor after he ascended the throne. It is worthy of celebration. I came to this banquet at the right time."
Lu Bai waved his hand, "It's just the emperor's love."
"It is true that the emperor is fond of you, but this is inseparable from the fact that Mr. Lu is an outstanding young man, shrewd and capable." said an old man next to him.
Shen Yan intervened at the right time, "Master Hou, father, let's not stand here anymore. Come and take a seat."
"Okay, okay." Shen Shixing turned sideways and asked Lu Bai to come in.
After Lu Bai entered the building, Shen Shixing consciously walked half a body behind Lu Bai to guide Lu Bai, keeping his posture very low.
After entering the private room, Master Shen invited Lu Bai to be the host.
"Hey, I still don't want it, I'm a guest." Lu Bai declined hurriedly.
"Lord Marquis Lu, I wanted to invite you when you first came to the capital. Unfortunately, I never had the chance. Now I'm still neglecting you. You must take the lead today." Shen Shixing insisted.
Shen Yan said from the side: "Master Marquis, guests are welcome to do as they please. You can sit at the head seat."
Lu Bai did not refuse and sat on the main seat.
He knew that if he sat on the throne this time, he would have to sit on the throne forever.
After sitting at the table, Shen Yan first brought two jars of wine, "These two jars of wine are very good. They are Shaoxing rice wine. They have been stored in the cellar for many years since my grandfather. My father has never been willing to take them out to drink. Today I am drinking Lu." Let’s have a taste of Lord Marquis’s light.”
It's just that the wine needs to be mixed and mixed before it tastes good.
Then, they chatted about the scenery and climate of Lin'an and Shaoxing over the wine, and then turned to the topic of the Shen family's long-standing business in Kuaiji County, which covers Shaoxing, Lin'an and other places.
Shen Shixing is almost like a salesman, describing the roots of the Shen family in Kuaiji County.
"Although Kuaiji County has been invaded by pirates, under the management of our Shen family, it has been relatively prosperous in recent years, especially mulberry silkworms and silk, which are absolutely the best in the world. They are not only popular in our dynasty, but also in the Northern Barbarians and Western Shu. All the dignitaries are also in love with the silks and silks from my Shenjia Meiji Cloth Shop." Shen Shixing said proudly.
Lu Bai nodded.
As for the invasion of pirates, it is almost a common thing. Because there are many small islands overseas, some islands are inhabited, and some islands have practitioners who have established themselves as island owners. When these islands gather together, they often disobey the king and invade. A land near the sea.
A large part of the role of the guard station set up by Jin Yiwei in Kuaiji County was to guard against these pirates.
Then, Shen Shixing mentioned people from the Shen family who held city lord or official positions outside.
Most of these people are also in Kuaiji County.
Under the control of these Shen family city lords, prefects, and county magistrates, they firmly grasped the basic foundation of Kuaiji County.
Lu Bai nodded slowly, the Shen family still had some background.
At this point, after three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, Shen Shixing had almost finished what he said. But seeing that Lu Bai was still deep in thought, he simply made it clear, "Although our Shen family is in charge of running the family, I have made some achievements in the official field, and I can barely speak a few words in court, but in terms of spiritual practice, there has been no talent."
He smiled and handed over his hands: "I hope Mr. Lu will give you more guidance and training in the future."
Lu Bai smiled and nodded, "Easy to say, easy to say."
Shen Shixing perked up and quickly stood up, "Since Mr. Lu is now an uncle, it would be better to choose the right day..."
He pulled Shen Yan and Shen Xi beside him and said, "Master Lu, what do you think of my two sons? If you think they can tolerate it, I will be shameless. Please take them into the mountain gate and let them worship you as your teacher." , serve everywhere, what do you think?"
Lu Bai said nothing.
Shen Shixing got Lu Bai's acquiescence and asked Shen Yan and Shen Xi to kneel down. Although Shen Xi was reluctant, in the end he and his brother kowtowed respectfully to Lu Bai and performed the apprenticeship ceremony. Then he asked them to stand up and serve tea to Lu Bai.
Lu Bai took the drink and then said: "You two can join my Haoqi Sect, but I have to put my ugly words up front. I already accepted many disciples when I was in Yancheng. I never ask questions when I accept disciples. Origin, regardless of gender, you are not allowed to bully the weak, and you are not allowed to kill innocent people indiscriminately. There are many rules that are different from other sects that need to be followed. Anyone who makes a mistake must be punished, do you agree?"
The two nodded.
"That's good." Lu Bai greeted them to sit down.
The two of them hurriedly said, "We can just stand and wait on Master."
Lu Bai waved his hand, "Our first rule is not to talk about these red tapes. If you want to be kicked out of the mountain gate by me, you can stand."
After hearing this, the two people hurriedly sat down.
Lu Bai then asked again: "Master Shen, what's going on with the Shi family? Why did Jianzhai choose his family overnight?"
Master Shen was a little embarrassed.
Lu Bai said it was okay and asked him to speak frankly.
Then Master Shen sighed and said: "The main thing I choose between the Shen family and the Shi family for Jianzhai is money."
Of course, the Shen family has a supportive faction in Jianzhai; the Shi family also has a supportive faction in Jianzhai.
Just like Lu Baicai did, the faction supported by the Shen family was close to the Lu family and supported King Kang. They had received a lot of benefits from the Lu family when the Lu family was the secular sect of Jianzhai.
There is also a faction that hates Yiqiu Villa.
They were resentful of the sudden betrayal of the Lu family, and since Yiqiu Villa learned swordsmanship and Swordsman School also established its sect with swords, the two would naturally be compared.
Because of the Sword Immortal, Yiqiu Villa loomed over Jianzhai, so Jianzhai naturally disliked it even more.
There are many people in this faction who support the Shi family, but they do not sincerely support King Luo. They only support King Luo because the position of prince is to be chosen between King Kang and King Luo.
"There are many people who are hostile to Yiqiu Villa in Jianzhai, so our support does not have an advantage." Shen Shixing said this and hurriedly said who they support now depends on the wishes of Lord Lu.
Lu Bai said it was okay and motioned for him to continue.
"Originally, our Shen family did not have an advantage, but because of Mr. Lu Hou's movements in Ankang City, the Shi family's vitality was severely damaged and they were unable to make much money for a while. The Shen family now gained the upper hand in the competition."
Shen Shixing then shook his head. They originally thought this was hope and thought they had a great chance.
Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the Shi family donated a lot of money to the Jianzhai family, which suddenly surpassed the Shen family. As a result, the Shen family was defeated. The Shi family announced today that a famous sword competition will be held in the city.
"Silver?" Lu Bai tapped his fingers on the table, muttering in his mind.
Shen Shixing knew that he was treating Lu Bai as a spare tire, so he hurriedly ignored the topic. After giving Lu Bai a glass of wine, he asked: "Master Lu Hou, the Shen family will follow your lead from now on. Please let us go east. We will Definitely not westward.”
As for money, the Shen family naturally has to respect it.
"As for our cooperation, I can just let my aunt talk about it." Lu Bai asked Shen Shixing to sit down, "There are two things that I may need your help with."