In the middle of December, Wei County is enchanting, with vast white snow covering the earth.
The howling wind blew, and the groves on the hillside were rustling, and the snowy rime was blown off, splashing with snowflakes.
Although the snow has stopped long ago, the afternoon sun shines down, but it does not bring any warmth to people.
Liu Bei was wearing a light cyan robe, with a thick mink velvet vest on top, and stood on the hillside with two mountains on his back.
Guan Yu wore a green robe with yellow tiger fur embroidered on the cuffs and neck.
Zhang Fei was more direct and made a piece of clothing out of bearskin.
Coupled with his strong-backed appearance, he looks like an old bear standing tall and proud, giving people a great sense of oppression.
The three of them all looked at Chen Mu with smiles.
Chen Mu was stunned at first at this moment, and then his face turned cold.
He was really scared to death just now, really, just a little bit, almost peeing out of fear.
This was not a joke. He almost thought Dian Wei had rebelled and thought he was going to die.
"Fourth brother!"
Zhang Fei laughed loudly and said: "How is it? Are you shocked?"
Chen Mu had a cold face and said nothing.
Zhang Fei scratched his head: "Why, you're angry. How can such a big man be so petty? Isn't this a surprise for you?"
This isn't a surprise, it's just a shock!
Chen Mu rolled his eyes at him angrily, his face was sullen, and he was very unhappy in his heart.
Liu Bei thought he was really angry, so he quickly came over and grabbed his hand, jokingly saying: "Fourth brother, don't be angry, it was my idea. I wanted to make you happy, but I didn't expect to scare you. I will apologize to you, brother."
.”
"snort!"
Chen Mu snorted coldly, put his hands behind his back, and faced the distance without looking at the three of them.
Now Liu Guan became anxious and gathered around him one after another.
"Fourth brother, I was wrong. It was actually my idea. I shouldn't scare you. Don't be angry."
"Fourth brother, calm down, second brother brought you a gift."
"Zigui, don't be angry."
The three of them surrounded him, one on each side. Zhang Fei put his arms around his neck, laughing and joking together to make him happy.
Chen Mu is a man, and he is angry and funny at the same time.
Why do these three people look like three children?
In desperation, he could only sarcastically say: "Why am I angry? How dare I call myself brothers with three of you? Look at how good your life is, wearing mink and tiger."
Strictly speaking, Liu, Guan, and Zhang just played a prank on him. It was like a harmless little joke played by a bad friend in junior high school and high school. They were startled at first, but after thinking about it, it actually didn't matter.
Chen Mu's government would not be angry about this matter.
The reason why he was really angry was that he saw Liu Guan and Zhang all wearing mink, tiger and bear fur coats.
How expensive was this kind of clothing in the Han Dynasty?
It is no exaggeration to say that if an ordinary hunter can hunt an intact ferret, not only will he not have to worry about food and drink for several years, he will even have enough money to buy more than ten acres of fertile land and live a happy life as a rich farmer.
The reason why modern fur is cheap is because of the breeding industry.
In the feudal period, it all depended on luck. Needless to say, mink, it was difficult for experienced hunters to catch such cunning beasts.
As for bears and tigers, they were everywhere in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
After all, in the modern era of New China in the 1940s and 1950s, and the incident of hundreds of tigers surrounding the village, we can know that tigers and bears are by no means as rare as we think.
If the advent of the industrial age hadn't made the natural environment worse and worse, maybe you could see tigers just by going out of the city.
Bears and tigers are not problems that can be solved with a shovel. When they are extremely angry, they rush to fight with tigers and bears. The only result is that the slide slides into the tiger's belly and gives the tiger a full meal.
Therefore, every time they hunt for bear skins and tiger skins, the hunters often suffer heavy casualties. Only in times of disaster, when they really cannot survive, will the hunters pursue their plans, otherwise they will hide as far away as possible.
It would be great for ordinary people to have a pair of clothes made of sheepskin. Even the nobles may not be able to wear a top-quality mink coat that is pure in color, has no impurities, and has smooth fur.
It’s not that it’s unaffordable, it’s that it’s pricey but hard to get.
Only Emperor Han Ling, the emperor, could own some precious leather materials because of the treasures enshrined by the world.
In fact, not only in the Eastern Han Dynasty, until the Ming and Qing Dynasties when the commodity economy was developed, furs such as mink, fox, tiger and bear skins were still high-value items.
The Qing Dynasty stipulated that civil servants must be of the third grade or above, and military officers must be the second grade or above before they can wear mink. You can imagine how precious this thing is.
Chen Mu saw that all three of them were wearing ermine and tiger robes, and immediately realized that the three of them might have become corrupted.
Although it is possible that they got it from hunting, they had only been in Jinan for more than two months. Normal hunters may not be able to hunt a mink for several years, let alone hunt ferrets, tigers and black bears in a short period of time.
Fortunately for them, they had all been covered in tiger and bear skins, so how could they prevent Chen Mu from suspecting that they had done something bad and obtained it by illegal means.
If that was really the case, Chen Mu would be furious.
In the letters, he gave numerous instructions and instructions, telling Liu Bei not to be greedy for enjoyment but to take care of government affairs, but in the blink of an eye he was wearing mink fur.
In the TV series, he was still acting in Soochow, and in order to numb Sun Quan, he continued to play music and dance.
And what's going on now?
No wonder Adou can't help him. If I am like this, my son won't be much better!
Chen Mu was extremely angry at this time.
Liu Bei was stunned: "Fourth brother doesn't think I'm enjoying corruption in Jinan, right?"
"Is not it?"
Chen Mu sneered: "The clothes on the three of you are probably worth hundreds of gold."
"Hahahahaha."
Liu, Guan, and Zhang looked at each other, then laughed at the same time.
Even Dian Wei on the side became happy.
Chen Mu was confused and confused, but he knew Liu Bei would give him an explanation, so he didn't ask, just looked at them and smiled quietly.
After the four of them finished laughing, Zhang Fei said with great joy: "Fourth brother, you may have misunderstood me. Do you know that Qingzhou is rich in indigo, madder, rehmannia, oak, acorn and other dyeing grasses. The locals use cat hair and wool to weave
Fur clothing, and the dyeing habits, these are cat hair and wool."
"Zigui, you misunderstood that I was waiting, hahahaha."
"But although the fur on our bodies is fake, this gift I gave you is real."
After Guan Yu finished speaking, he took a box from the horse next to him.
Chen Mu looked embarrassed.
He knew he had misunderstood them.
The level of dyeing and weaving in the Eastern Han Dynasty was extremely advanced. The various dyeing and printing products unearthed from Mawangdui, Changsha, have been refined for two thousand years, and they are still lifelike and have not faded.
Mink and tiger skins were expensive, and the rich at that time were not able to afford them, but they were not available. So in winter, wool and cat hair would be dyed and worn on the body, pretending to be mink and fox furs.
This kind of thing is not uncommon even in modern times, let alone in ancient times. The difference is that in ancient times, it was done to keep warm and secondly to save face. In modern times, it is to pass off inferior cat skins and sell them at the same price as mink skins.
He is a black-hearted merchant.
Chen Mu said embarrassedly: "The three brothers are not mine, I thought..."
"Hey, I'm very happy that Zi Gui thinks so. This shows that Zi Gui is waiting for me. I hope we don't want to enjoy ourselves. I hope we can be good officials and do some real things for the people of Li."
Liu Bei waved his hand and said seriously: "I just hope that the fourth brother will not misunderstand us in the future, and trust that your three brothers are not such people. When Taishi Ziyi came back, he told me that you had made friends with Zhang Rang.
My brother is not angry either, because I know that my fourth brother will give me a reasonable explanation."
No wonder he later became the founding king of the country. In terms of mind and magnanimity, Liu Bei was ten times stronger than Chen Mu.
Taishi Ci did tell Liu Bei about Chen Mu's friendship with Zhang Rang, but Liu Bei did not immediately question him angrily. He believed his brother.
On this point, Chen Mu was far behind.
Chen Mu couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "I originally planned to tell my brother about this after I arrived in Jinan. In fact, it was not that I made friends with Zhang Rang, but that I met the emperor at Hongdu Pavilion. I made a plan and saved all the people in the world."
"oh?"
Liu Bei's eyes widened and he asked: "My brother actually saved all the people in the world. What is his plan?"
Guan Yu also looked over curiously.
Chen Mu briefly explained the tax collection strategy and the economic effects of floor heating.
Dian Wei also spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, I can testify that when I went to Luoyang to pick up Yi Lang, many people outside the city were busy with their work, and there were indeed countless people living in Shizi Di Nuan."
After listening to his words, Liu Bei was extremely pleased and praised: "As expected of my fourth brother, he has already won my benevolence and righteousness."
If Chen Mu rolled his eyes, Big Brother would put gold on his face.
Guan Yu handed the box over and said with a smile: "Fourth brother, it's just right. This thing will be used as a reward for all the people in the world."
Chen Mu took it and opened the box. A refreshing fragrance hit his nostrils. Inside lay a long fox fur coat as white as snow, as light as gauze and smooth and silky.
"This is......"
It feels like wool or cat hair.
Liu Bei chuckled and said, "It's snowing this year. Last month, my third brother went out hunting and caught this snow fox. Countless rich people in Jinan have to spend a lot of money to buy it. The most expensive one has already cost a hundred gold, but I haven't even sold it."
A bloody horse like the Red Rabbit Horse can be sold for five million dollars, because this kind of horse is hard to come by and is the best in the world.
Although this snow fox skin is not as expensive as the red rabbit horse, it is still the top luxury product and is as rare as the blood horse.
If it is dedicated to the emperor, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty may be happy and reward him with a rural prince. Next year, his official position will be promoted to a high official in the central court.
"It's just a small snow fox, it's nothing."
Zhang Fei looked proud and stood aside with his head raised, as if waiting for Chen Mu's praise.
Chen Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said to Zhang Fei: "Thank you, third brother."
"Hurry up and try it on."
Liu Bei urged.
Chen Mu had no choice but to put on his fox fur and the three brothers looked over.
I saw this extremely handsome young man, with a face like a crown of jade, red lips and white teeth, and fox-like eyes. After putting on the fox fur, he just smiled slightly, and he was like a cunning snow fox, full of agility and wisdom.
When the three of them looked at it, even Guan Yu, who was usually steady, praised him: "It's a pity that the fourth brother is a man. If he were a woman, he would probably overwhelm all living beings."
Zhang Fei teased: "If that King Anli of Wei had seen my fourth brother, he would have abandoned that Long Yang Lord a long time ago."
"I didn't expect my third brother to know about Lord Long Yang."
Liu Bei also joked happily.
The four of them, including Dian Wei, laughed endlessly and made fun of Chen Mu's appearance.
Chen Mu was helpless. His skin was passed down from his ancestors. It was said that Chen Ping was a man with a woman's appearance. In troubled times, if such a good-looking and weak scholar were to be met by a lecherous bad guy, it would be better to commit suicide on the spot.
This is why he went to find Liu Guanzhang nearby. With the protection of these three tough men, at least he could not only ensure the safety of his life, but also the safety of his beauty.
Although it is said that the Shu Han people are a bunch of gays, as long as they are not true gays, that's fine.
"By the way, eldest brother, second brother and third brother, you were not waiting for me in Jinan, why did you suddenly come to Yuancheng?"
Chen Mu did not answer the inquiry.
Speaking of this, Liu Bei patted the horse next to him and said: "The new year is approaching, why don't you go home? Our brothers have decided to accompany you to Puyin to meet the adults in your family."
"Then Auntie's side..."
Chen Mu hesitated. It was not impossible to return to Puyin. After all, he had been away from home for a year and it was time to go back and have a look.
But didn’t Liu Bei say that he had taken his mother to Jinan?
Just leave my mother in Jinan?
Liu Bei smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. Didn't I say that I married a sister-in-law for you before? She will take care of you at home, so there is no need to worry. This time, not only is he going to Puyin, but he is also going to Hedong with his second brother. He wants to take care of his hometown. My wife will take her to Jinan."
"I see."
Chen Mu nodded.
Guan Yu got married very early, at the age of 17, and already had a son, Guan Ping.
This was not uncommon in ancient times, and was even the norm.
On the contrary, it was Liu Bei who had not asked for a wife at the age of 24, so he was considered an older unmarried young man, which is equivalent to being a bachelor in his 30s in later generations.
So Guan Yu is the only one among the four brothers who has a family, but now Liu Bei is added to the list.
Chen Mu and Zhang Fei are still single.
"Hahaha, we four brothers haven't ridden horses for a long time, why don't we compete."
Zhang Fei laughed loudly, got on his horse, and greeted Liu, Guan, and Chen.
Liu Bei became so proud that he also climbed on the horse and laughed loudly: "Let's go!"
"Brother, a few of them, let's go!"
Chen Mu also rode on the horse prepared for him, and in a trance, he seemed to have returned to the days when the four of them rode horses together in Jizhou.
Of course, the most important thing is that the three of them are galloping to kill the enemy, while they themselves are on the edge.
But once in a while, a horse race is also full of fun between brothers.