A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 151 Guiding the Way for Wei Zheng

Li Yi took Wei Zheng into a fried food shop in the East Market.

"Madam Wang, two fried dumplings please."

A young woman was busy in the shop, her sleeves tied with ropes and hanging around her neck, revealing her two bare hands.

"Ah, Li Lang is here, come and sit down."

Mrs. Wang came over with a smile, quickly wiped their table and chairs, and then brought a bowl of rice water to each of them.

Wei Zheng looked at the woman. She was probably around 20 years old, quite pretty, and very skillful at work. After Wang left, he asked Li Yi with a smile, "I heard you married the daughter of the Jingzhao Du family. How come you have an unusual relationship with the woman from the East Market Inn?"

"I've been here so often that I've become familiar with it. It's nothing special. Some time ago, I was with the army in Jingzhou. I was eating fried dough sticks at a shop in Jingzhou. The shop owner, Wang Mazi, saw that I was from Chang'an and entrusted me with something. He said his daughter had been married in Chang'an for three years and had opened a fried dough stick shop with her husband in the East Market, but she hadn't heard from him since before the war.
So they asked me to bring some things to see how their daughter and son-in-law are doing, and it would be best if I could send a letter home."

Li Yi picked up the rice water and took a sip. It tasted good.

"After I returned to Chang'an, I followed the address and found out that Madam Wang's husband was seriously ill. The family had borrowed a lot of money and the shop had been mortgaged, so they couldn't take care of themselves."

"And then?" Wei Zheng asked with a smile.

"I just helped a little,"

To Li Yi, the difficulties Wang encountered were just small problems to him. He lent Wang some money, and all the problems were solved. He paid off the debt first and got the shop back.

Her husband can continue to buy medicine for treatment, her mother-in-law can take care of her son at home, and Wang can concentrate on doing business and making money in the store.

Wang used to follow his father Wang Mazi in Jingzhou to make fried dumplings. He was very good at making fried dumplings and he was also good-looking. He was from the northwest and was a bit tough. But his personality made him very likable and his business was very good.

When Li Yi came to the East Market, he also liked to sit here and helped drive away several groups of ruffians who wanted to take advantage of her. The people in the East Market also knew that there was a nobleman behind Madam Wang, so they generally didn't dare to provoke her.

"Give us your persimmon wine. Let's have a couple more drinks." Wei Zheng loved wine and made his own wine. He even improved the ancestral winemaking recipe and the wine he made was very good.

Li Yi took out a bottle of wine and poured a glass for each person.

He looked at Wei Zheng,

He is thirty-nine years old this year, but looks like he is over forty-five. He has a face full of wrinkles and even some white hair. He is tall and thin, with a goatee, which makes him look even older.

He was wearing a linen jacket that looked a bit old.

It's quite miserable.

In Wuyi's memory, Senior Brother Xuancheng six years ago was still quite energetic.

Perhaps it's because I've been running around in recent years and feeling that my talents have not been recognized, which has dampened some of my ambition.

"Is Master Guangliang okay?"

Wei Zheng took a sip from his wine glass, smacked his lips, and sighed, "Ziyun Temple was destroyed by war, and my master also died in the war."

Li Yi couldn't help but sigh,
In this damn chaotic world, even monks can’t escape.

Mrs. Wang brought fried cakes and a plate of roasted tofu.

Served with two side dishes,

"Li Lang, eat slowly,"

Li Yi saw that the business in the store was pretty good. "How's the grilled tofu selling?"

Wang smiled and said that Li Yi taught her how to make grilled tofu in the store, and she didn't expect it to be very popular. Although it takes a lot of effort to grill tofu, it has to be grilled slowly over a low fire and can't be rushed, but the tofu that is slowly grilled over charcoal fire is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it is plump and plump.

Put it in your mouth and take a bite to see the juice burst out. Dip it in the prepared dipping sauce and it tastes even better.

This kind of baked tofu is not ordinary tofu. It needs to be fermented, so it is a bit moldy and smelly. At this time, the tofu is just right for baking, and it has a unique flavor. If it is not fermented, it will not have this flavor when baked, but will be a bit sour.

Li Yi had already opened tofu shops in Chang'an and the other two cities. He supplied this fermented tofu to Wang's store and taught her how to sell grilled tofu, which not only helped her improve her business but also increased sales for his own shop.

"I'll give you another suggestion,"

Li Yi glanced at the shop and said, "You should make a big square table and put a charcoal grill in the middle. Except for the side where you grill the tofu, the other three sides of the table should be used to place bowls, chopsticks, and dipping sauce.
You bake it and your customers eat it, and you can chat while eating, which creates a more pleasant atmosphere."

Wei Zheng said, "It's hard to count the freshly baked ones."

"That's easy. Every time a customer picks up a piece of tofu, you can put a soybean in front of them. When they pay, the number of soybeans they have will be the number of pieces of grilled tofu they ate. Or you can just put the soybean in front of yourself. It's more convenient."

Wei Zheng gave a thumbs up and said, "Your idea is good. Counting the soybeans will save you from making mistakes and arguments. I also have a suggestion. Compared to frying, grilled tofu is more suitable for slow eating and chatting. You can also sell some wine.
This wine and grilled tofu are perfect for a slow meal and a chat, and the wine is quite profitable."

Li Yi thought Wei Zheng's suggestion was very good.
"Now the court has banned slaughtering and selling, and private brewing is not allowed. Wine is very expensive and hard to buy." said Lady Wang.

"That's easy. I happen to own a liquor store and have homemade persimmon wine. You can try selling it later."

Li Yi asked her to bring a cup and poured her a small cup. "Madam Wang, try my persimmon wine. It's quite strong, so drink it slowly."

Mrs. Wang laughed and said that when she was at her parents' home, she helped her father brew millet wine every year, and also made liquor in winter. The smell of alcohol made her able to drink quite well.

He picked up the wine glass and sniffed it first, "This wine has a unique aroma, with a hint of persimmon."

Take a sip, face slightly red,
"It's really strong." He took another sip and savored it carefully.

After finishing a glass of wine, he said, "This wine is good."

Wang decided to sell some persimmon wine, and according to Li Yi's suggestion, she set up a large square table and sold the persimmons on the spot. In fact, one table could seat more than three guests, and more would be fine. If business was good, there was no need to set up only one baking table, and several could be set up.

She was busy grilling for several tables by herself.

"Wuyi, doesn't the court ban your drinking?" Wei Zheng asked.

"My wine doesn't use grain. I applied for it specifically and got a brewing license."

"Is it really brewed only with persimmons?"

"Yeah." Li Yi nodded.

Wei Zheng was a little confused. It was impossible to make wine without using grain. As the saying goes, wine is the essence of grain. It was amazing that wine could be made without using grain but only using persimmons.

Li Yi was able to obtain the license by cooperating with the official winery. He bought the koji and lees from the official winery.

The sake lees are used for fermenting persimmons. It is relatively stable and economical to use sake lees for fermentation. In later generations, persimmons are usually made with yeast for steamed buns.

The fermentation of sake lees is more stable and the flavor of persimmon-yaki is better.

For the official wine-making workshop, the lees were of little use and could only be used to feed livestock. So naturally, they were happy to have Li Yi buy them.

Another customer wanted grilled tofu, so Wang went over to greet him and told this regular customer that she was planning to set up a grilling table and sell wine, and asked for his opinion.

The guest also said it was good and was looking forward to it.

"This woman is quite capable," Wei Zheng said.

"Well, women also hold up half the sky." Li Yi said with a smile.

This made Wei Zheng stunned.
"What are your plans, brother?"

"I'm very confused now," Wei Zheng said frankly.
I followed Li Mi and assisted him wholeheartedly, but he was never valued. Now that I have come to Chang'an with Li Mi, I have not been appointed yet.

He may have to wait like other people who have not been appointed as officials.

"I'm not familiar with Chang'an either. As someone from Guandong, I'm completely clueless when I come to the interior."

Wei Zheng didn't save much money over the years, only a dozen boxes of books.

If he was not granted an official position in time, Wei Zheng would not even be able to survive in Chang'an City.

Li Yi saw his confused look and thought he didn't look like a future famous prime minister or a model for the generation.

"I heard that the prince is very respectful to talented people and is recruiting talents everywhere. If the court is slow to grant me an official position, I can only try my luck in the Eastern Palace." Wei Zheng told the truth.

"I heard that the prince admires you very much and wants to recommend you as the Imperial Censor? How about you introduce me to the prince?" Wei Zheng said.

Li Yi poured Wei Zheng another glass of wine.

"Actually, I think that with your talent, it would be difficult for you to display it if you stayed in Chang'an. It would be better for you to go out and try your luck."

"Go out?" Wei Zheng was surprised. "I think the world is now in a clear situation. The country will definitely belong to the Li family."

"Brother, you're right. When I say go out, I don't mean to surrender to others, but to go out and make achievements."

"Tell me in detail." Wei Zheng picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Li Yi lowered his voice and said, "Brother, Li Mi has surrendered despite his defeat, but he still has a lot of territory and troops in Guandong. Although many people have surrendered to Wang Shichong, there are still many who have not surrendered.

Among these people, Xu Shiji of Liyang is particularly famous and powerful.

Brother can write to the court and take the initiative to request to go to Liyang to recruit Xu Shiji for the court.

From the sea in the east to the Yangtze River in the south, from Ruzhou in the west to Weizhou in the north, with such a large territory and so many soldiers, we are all confused now.
"Brother, you've been under Li Mi's command for so long, and you should be familiar with Xu Shiji and the others. Isn't it just the right time to recommend yourself and go on behalf of the court to recruit them?"

Wei Zheng's eyes lit up, "But does the court really trust me so much?"

"The imperial court has now appointed the Prince of Qin as the Grand Chancellor of the Eastern Shaanxi Circuit, and has also established a General Administration Office in Shanzhou, with Li Xiaoji, a member of the imperial clan, as the General Administration Office. Previously, they had also sent Zhang Daoyuan, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Court, to pacify Hebei.

With the dramatic changes in the Central Plains, the imperial court would certainly send clan members and important officials to serve as ambassadors and deputy ambassadors to pacify Shandong Province, just like Ma Yuangui served as the pacification ambassador of Shannan Province.
However, even if an important member of the royal family is sent as an ambassador of appeasement, a middleman is still needed.

You used to be Li Mi's secretary and military officer. Now you are going to Chang'an with Li Mi and then to Shandong to recruit people. You will definitely be more trustworthy to Xu Shiji and others than the people sent by the Tang Dynasty."

"Okay," Wei Zheng raised his glass and drank it all. He made up his mind not to go to the Eastern Palace to recommend himself, but to go back to Shandong again.

"Brother, remember, the most crucial person for the Shandong trip is Xu Shiji. He is the founding father of Wagang and is now the most powerful. After Li Mi's defeat, those who did not surrender to Wang Shichong now follow his lead. As long as you can convince him to surrender, all of Li Mi's former subordinates in Shandong will follow suit.

Even if I only persuade Xu Shiji to surrender, it will definitely be a great achievement. At least I can earn my senior brother a red robe."

(End of this chapter)