Invincible son

Chapter 178 Chapter 177 [Zaisuke]

Yongrenfang, Luofu.

All important ministers in the court have official residences, and Luo Ting, as the right ruler of the Eastern Mansion, naturally has a high-ranking courtyard as the residence bestowed by the imperial court.Although it was the king's trust and esteem for the courtiers, Luo Ting didn't like this house because it was too large and had to raise many servants, which cost a lot on weekdays.

He was born in a poor family, and his relatives were not allowed to handle side jobs, so he only lived on hundreds of acres of fertile land outside the city.If Emperor Kaiping hadn't known his temperament, he would have sent an eunuch to reward him with money every now and then, and he might have to sell his ancestral property to support his family.

Even so, life in Luo Mansion is not plentiful, and frugality is not just a reputation on the face.

After resting and getting up early in the morning, Luo Ting finished two bowls of rice porridge with a plate of pickles, and said to the butler standing beside him: "The weather is getting colder every day, so there must be charcoal fire in the house, especially in the children's room. They You are still young, if this will freeze your body, it will be very troublesome when you are older."

The housekeeper hesitated a little and said: "Master, I just want to tell you that after the charcoal stored in the mansion is used up, I won't buy any more."

Luo Ting frowned and said, "What's this called? Although it's not easy to live in Kyoto, the family hasn't reached such a situation yet, right?"

The housekeeper quickly explained: "My lord, most people in Duzhong don't use charcoal anymore. There is a company called Xiangyunhao in the west city, and it started selling a new thing called briquette about half a month ago, which is better than charcoal. And it’s much cheaper.”

Luo Ting asked puzzledly: "Honeycomb coal?"

The steward replied: "It is said that this thing is made of coal, unlike the coarse coal we have seen before. It has neither a pungent smell nor thick smoke, nor does it suffocate people. It is selling very well now, Xicheng There are shops selling them in every square in Nancheng and Nancheng, and there are even a few shops in Dongcheng.”

Luo Ting was silent.

As the ruler of the Eastern Mansion, he certainly does not only care about the price like a housekeeper. New things like honeycomb coal can replace charcoal immediately after its birth, which is enough to show that this thing is very effective, but this does not mean that the follow-up There is no problem.

He asked solemnly: "What is the origin of this Xiangyun, do you know?"

The butler thought for a while and said, "I heard that there are many honorable mansions behind this business. By the way, the owner is very young, and it seems to be Zhongshanzi, who was newly appointed by the imperial court."

Pei Yue?

Luo Ting nodded slightly, and said softly: "You follow me out."

The housekeeper hurriedly asked, "Master, do you want to change?"

Although the mansion is not well-off, Luo Ting's official uniforms have been tidied up very well, as if they were brand new.This is because he believes that courtiers must pay attention to their appearance, and official uniforms are the most important thing, otherwise they will inevitably lose the dignity of the court.

Luo Ting shook his head and said, "No, just go for a stroll today."

The two of them left the house in regular clothes, and first came to a shop selling briquettes outside Yongrenfang.

The Dongcheng is full of dignitaries and dignitaries. These people use high-quality fine charcoal for heating in winter, such as silver frost charcoal, which is several grades higher than ordinary charcoal, and the price is also the same.

The four characters "Xiangyun Company" are written on the plaque on the door of this shop. Two shopkeepers stood outside the door with smiling faces to welcome customers, and the customers who bought briquettes lined up in a long line.

There is a row of donkey carts parked on the street. Whenever a customer pays, a shop assistant will bring out the briquettes and put them on the donkey cart. The whole process is orderly and very fast.Luo Ting noticed a detail, the guy didn't let the guests stand outside in the cold wind, but kept serving hot ginger tea to each guest.

The housekeeper said beside him: "Master, at the beginning, no one came here to buy briquettes, and even if they bought them, they did so secretly for fear of being seen by others. It seems that it has spread in the past few days, and everyone said that this thing is very useful, even if you don't use it To keep warm, cooking and boiling water is better than firewood. So many servants of the mansion come to buy it every day."

Luo Ting was quite shocked.

He turned and left, and said lightly, "Go to Nancheng to have a look."

The scene in the south city is much more lively than in the east city.

The layout of Kyoto is rich in the east and rich in the west, while the southern city gathers the largest number of civilians, and most of the military families who retired from the Kyoto garrison also live here.

Luo Ting walked freely, walked into a workshop, asked some passers-by on the road, and then headed towards the branch of Xiangyun Company.

Compared with the shop outside Yongrenfang, there are more people here, and most of them are clothed in clothes and skirts. You can tell they are ordinary people at a glance.Luo Ting led the butler at the end of the line, quietly listening to the chatter of these people.

"Old Wang, why don't you let your wife buy coal today?"

"Go away, you don't have a single word out of your mouth."

"Just kidding, why are you serious? But you really shouldn't be here today."

"What?"

"Haven't you heard? The guy at the Xiangyun said that because the briquettes are selling well, their owner will offer a discount in three days. Originally, it was five cents a piece, but that day it was only four cents! And he said that there is no limit to purchases? It seems to be this word." .It means you can buy as much as you want, as long as you can pull it!"

"What does that have to do with shopping today?"

"Who doesn't know that your old king is the most stingy. Wouldn't it be a great joy for you to save a penny?"

"Fart your mother! It's so cold that you can't pee. If you don't burn coal for three days, won't my whole family freeze to death? Besides, the coal is only five cents a piece now. It’s not like it can’t be burned.”

"Hey, you old boy is so arrogant. But then again, the owner of the Xiangyun is really a good person. I heard that he seems to be young, and he is a new lord from the court?"

"That's right! It is said that he is the son of Dingguo Mansion, and he got the title at a young age, which is amazing."

"Hey, I know about this. Do you still remember the bandits outside? It was Mr. Pei who led the troops to destroy them. He was only 14 years old!"

"So powerful, could it be that Ding Guogong was reincarnated?"

"Hush, you dare to say such things. I heard that although this Lord Pei is young, he was born to be two feet tall, with big arms and round waist, and extremely strong. Just tearing his hands like that, a bandit will be cut in half!"

"Good guy, is it true or not?"

"Can there be a fake? The son of the old man next door to me is working in the Beijing camp, that's what he saw with his own eyes!"

……

These voices reached the ears of a pair of young men and women not far away. The girl was wearing a red feather gauze and her hair was tied into a heroic single ponytail.She couldn't help but turned her head to look at the young man beside her, and teased softly, "I'll call you Zhang Er's monk from now on."

Pei Yue smiled and said, "I am a monk, what should you do?"

Ye Qi snorted, raised his head and said, "There is a road at the end of the world, and the world is my home. Where can I go?"

Pei Yue recalled what he had said to Ye Qi when they first met in the small courtyard in the northern suburbs, and couldn't help raising his hands and saying, "Come on, I promise I won't become a monk."

Ye Qi said a little proudly: "Let's see if you still dare to talk nonsense in the future."

Pei Yue nodded meaningfully, and said very approvingly: "Indeed, I have to be more careful, lest you think I'm really going to become a monk, and then think wildly in your own mind."

Ye Qi looked at his expression that was a little bit of a beating, looked left and right, hesitated for a moment, and finally did not make a move in a public place.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Pei Yue quickly changed the topic and said, "There is nothing wrong here, let's go to the next shop to have a look."

Ye Qi nodded and said, "Okay."

The two walked side by side, very seductive.

Pei Yue didn't notice that in the long queue, there was a middle-aged man in ordinary clothes looking at him.

After he and the girl walked away, Luo Ting held the ginger tea brought by the staff and looked at the ordinary people beside him who were covered with wind and frost. At this moment, their faces were filled with relaxed smiles, and they were not at all the sluggishness and depression in the severe winter months of previous years. It was dull, as if there were gusts of warm wind blowing their bodies.

Luo Ting smiled suddenly, and said to the butler behind him, "Let's go."

It was already noon when I returned to the mansion, just as I stepped into the gate, I saw the door greet me and said: "Master, there is a palace eunuch waiting for you at home."

Luo Ting's face was indifferent, and when he saw the anxious inner eunuch, he knew that Emperor Kaiping had called him into the palace to discuss matters.

Putting on a brand-new close-fitting official uniform and sitting in the carriage sent by the palace, he is no longer the middle-aged man hiding among the ordinary people, but the powerful minister of the empire.

In the side hall of Liangyi Hall, Luo Ting walked in at a leisurely pace, and saw that there were already many people in the hall at a glance.

Apart from him, all the important ministers of the two governments were there, and then there were six ministers and two censors, and of course Mo Moyun who was in charge of the Taishitai Pavilion was indispensable.

Luo Ting, who had a keen sense of politics, soon noticed that the atmosphere in the hall was very solemn, obviously something big had happened.

After pleading guilty to Emperor Kaiping, Luo Ting returned to his seat, and then saw a censor Zhongcheng standing up, and said righteously: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach the new Zhongshanzi Pei Yue!"

　Can I... just... ask everyone for a recommendation ticket?

　　


(End of this chapter)