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

Chapter 198 Speaking the truth while drunk
The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month
Dusk is approaching.

In the courtyard of Wuji Fort, three incense sticks in the copper stove were emitting blue smoke.

The hostess, Du Shiniang, personally placed the last water chestnut on the altar. The wind blew the copper bells on the eaves, which tinkled. Li Yi looked up and saw the sunset glow on the horizon, blazing like fire, coating the clouds with a layer of gold.

"It's time to ask the Kitchen God to start his journey."

On the long ebony altar, a yellow sheep with a red silk headband, a black pig with a cypress in its mouth, and a long string of fresh water chestnuts sizzling with juice. Next to them were whole chickens, live fish, wild geese, and various dried fruits.

Ji Sujun came over with the freshly steamed white flour cakes.

But he just happened to see a chubby child standing at the foot of the stone steps. It was Gousheng who was standing on tiptoe to reach the glutinous beans on the altar.

"You're even more greedy than a tabby cat when it comes to attracting wealth," she cursed and laughed as she slapped the muddy hand away.

Du Shiniang handed her husband the horse woven from sorghum stalks. On it were pasted the words "Eight Thousand Cloud Roads", which rustled in the evening breeze.

Li Yi threw the sorghum horse into the furnace, and it turned into a puff of green smoke.

"The Kitchen God returns to his place,
Speak good things to the gods above, and bring blessings to the lower world. Speak more good things and less complaints.

Suddenly a whirlwind blew up in the courtyard, carrying the smoke straight into the sky.

Little Stone's voice changed with excitement: "Look, the Kitchen God is stepping on the smoke and going up to the sky!"

Everyone bowed in awe.

When the smoke clears,
The children, who could no longer contain their excitement, gathered together and shouted happily, "Sharing the candy from the kitchen, sharing the candy from the kitchen."

Du Shiniang smiled and took down a large box of stove candy from the altar.
With the unique caramel sweetness of malt sugar,

This year, Li Yi specially made a lot of malt and made a lot of stove candies. These newly made stove candies are as crystal clear as amber, and can even be seen through if you look closely.

This candy is very difficult to make, and it has to be stretched and pulled hundreds of times before it is ready.

"Line up, everyone gets a share," Li Yi smiled and broke off a piece and stuffed it into Gousheng's mouth. The guy's eyes narrowed with laughter.

The children lined up obediently.

Li Yi was very pleased with this lively scene.

Seeing these children eating the candies with such happiness on their faces, Li Yi couldn't help but think of the Shannan refugees he had seen recently.

Zhu Can caused chaos in Shannan, causing countless Shannan people to flee to Guanzhong for refuge. In this cold winter, they could not even get enough food and clothing, and three liters of millet could even be exchanged for a maid.

Without comparison, there is no gap.

In fact, Gousheng also fled here with his mother to escape famine. They used to have no food to eat, but now they have enough food to eat.

Luojiabao is gradually getting better.

Night came,

Li Yi specially ordered a lot of delicious dishes to be prepared.
The Tang people did not have the tradition of celebrating the New Year's Eve, so he decided to start with himself. Today, he specially invited Luo Er, Luo San, Liu Heizi, Sanniang and other neighbors who were in charge of the Li family.

Eight large bowls of chicken, duck, fish, meat and vegetables,
The countryside in this era seems particularly prosperous.

Today I made dumplings with eight kinds of fillings.
Eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year represents some special meaning to Li Yi.

Half a year ago, a rainstorm caused the kiln to collapse. Li Yi and Luo San built a simple straw shed in the rice fields on the south bank of the Hehe River. The porridge was so thick that you could see your reflection in it. They had no food to eat.

In a blink of an eye, they were able to eat eight large bowls of dumplings with eight kinds of fillings.

Li Yi warmly invited everyone to eat and drink.

Uncle Fu lit a big fire in the courtyard and threw the bamboo poles he had prepared earlier into the fire.

Bamboo sticks burst and crackle in the fire,
The birds on the tree were startled and flew up.

Liu Heizi brought another jar of persimmon wine, broke the seal, and the aroma of wine immediately filled the air.

"Come on, let's drink. Today is the Little New Year, so everyone should drink more." Li Yi shouted.

Everyone smiled and raised their glasses.

Luo Er, who was selling tofu from village to village, was now wearing a respectable sheepskin robe.

In order to get a stone of rice, Luo Wu would rather take the risk of delivering food to the front line of the battlefield, and now he has more than enough food at home.

Everyone changes a lot.

Liu Hei raised his glass and said, "I toast to A Lang. If it weren't for A Lang, I, Liu Hei, would be dead. I had evil thoughts and did wrong things back then, but A Lang gave me a chance to mend my ways. Later, he even forgave me and took me back to Luojiabao to settle down. Now I, Lao Hei, can marry, will soon become a father, and have a five-hole cave dwelling and over a hundred acres of land. All of this is thanks to A Lang. Cheers to A Lang."

Heizi swallowed it in one gulp.

Everyone toasted Li Yi one by one, full of gratitude.

"It's the end of the year, but there are still people fleeing famine from Shannan. Zhu Can looted Shannan before, which was a sin. In this cold winter, those people came to Guanzhong with their families. I heard that countless people died of cold and starvation along the way.
Three liters of millet can be exchanged for a girl, hey."

In contrast, everyone felt that Li Yi had supported and cared for them well over the past six months.

Li Yi also raised his glass,

"It's said that it takes three to make a hero, and three stakes to make a fence. I, Li Yi, grew up in Yushu River. My life was saved by my uncle during that sudden disaster in the summer. My neighbors also helped me with my master's funeral. I remember all these favors.

Over the past six months, everyone has helped me a lot. Without everyone, I, Li Yi, would be alone and unable to take care of everything.

This cup, I toast to everyone."

After three rounds of drinking, Luo Er's face, which was covered with wrinkles, had turned red. Suddenly, this old man put down his glass and sighed.
"Sanniang, this girl, a few years ago, someone in Wangqu came to propose marriage. The family was a landlord, with about 200 acres of land and a large courtyard with rammed earth walls and small green tiles. But she actually threw the gift out the door."

The table fell into complete silence.

Li Yi's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air.

Luo Er picked up the wine bowl and took another big sip. "That girl Sanniang is already seventeen years old this year, but she still wears twin buns. The matchmakers have been knocking down the door for marriage proposals, but she hasn't accepted any of them.

Every time the matchmaker hasn't even opened her mouth, she'd chase them out..." Luo Er's mouth reeked of alcohol, and under the candlelight, tears suddenly streamed down his face.

Luo San smiled sheepishly at Li Yi and Du Shiniang: "Second brother is drunk. This persimmon wine tastes good, but it has a strong aftertaste."

But today, Uncle Luo seemed to want to take advantage of the alcohol to get out what he had been holding in his heart for a long time.

He stood up and rushed to Li Yi, his cloudy old eyes glistening with tears. "My Lord, don't you understand what Sanniang is thinking? She doesn't want to marry anyone else. She has only recognized you in this life. How can you bear to watch her grow older year by year and become an old maid like this?"

The wind blows the copper bells on the eaves,
Li Yi listened to the sound of wind and bells outside, feeling a little melancholy.

Shi Niang glanced at him and said to everyone, "I have long seen clearly how San Niang feels about A Lang. San Niang is a good girl, smart, hardworking, and devoted.

Uncle Luo, in front of so many people today, I would like to say a few words and express my stance.

If Sanniang really wants to follow Alang and doesn't mind becoming a concubine in the Li family, then I would welcome her.

As long as you and your wife, Uncle Luo, and Sanniang are willing,

Then I will immediately start arranging the matter of taking a concubine. The betrothal gift for taking a concubine will not be small. When the time comes, I will pick an auspicious day, invite relatives and friends, set up a banquet, and enter the house in a lively atmosphere.
how is it? "

Li Yi originally thought that this matter could not be forced, but now that Shi Niang had said this in public and Luo Er had also said that, everyone felt very sympathetic towards San Niang.
If Li Yi regretted it now, it would be very embarrassing on this lively New Year's Eve.

Luo Er patted his chest and agreed with a smile, even saying that no betrothal gift was needed. "I felt sorry for this woman, not for any betrothal gift."

The dinner continues.

The night wind blew snowflakes against the window.

Snowing.

When the New Year's Eve banquet is over,
Li Yi returned to the study and Shi Niang brought him a pot of tea.

"Ah Lang, are you angry with me? I shouldn't have acted on my own today, but Sanniang is a good person. I'm also a woman, and I understand her sincerity. I really don't want to see her so pitiful."

Li Yi was helpless: "Hey, with your husband's current status and position, and even his looks and talents, do you know how many girls want to be my concubines?
If everyone agrees, we won’t be able to accommodate them even if we build ten Wuji Castles.”

"That's different. There's only one Sanniang."

"You should go and rest first. You've been busy all day. Go and see if Little Pepper is asleep. I still have some letters to answer."

"Then you should go to bed early too. It's snowing outside and it's cold."

The candlelight in the study flickers,

The letter from my senior brother Wei Zheng flickered,
The letter said that there were starving people everywhere in Hebei Province, with bones exposed in the wild and no one collecting them. There were even tragedies of people eating their own children.

The letter also said that after Yu Wenhuaji was defeated at Tongshan, he marched north to Weizhou and led the remaining troops to attack Weizhou for more than 40 days. However, this regicide was now at the end of his strength.
Even the local armed forces of Yuan Baozang could not capture the city after a long siege.

Wei Zheng took advantage of the dark night and strong wind to climb down the city wall and sat with his old master in the prefectural mansion all night. After he said that the destiny was in the Tang Dynasty and that the Li family would rule the world, Yuan Baozang pondered all night and finally wrote a letter of surrender in front of him.

This Yuan Baozang was able to adapt to the times. He was the magistrate of Wuyang County in the previous dynasty. He first recruited soldiers and horses to protect himself, then joined Li Mi, and then attached himself to Wang Shichong. Now he seizes the opportunity and turns to the Tang Dynasty. He is like a fence-sitter in troubled times.

But which king would not like such a person who knows the times?

The emperor of Chang'an was very pleased. Not only did he retain his actual power as the governor of Weizhou, he also specially granted him the title of the founding Duke of Wuyang County.

This is also funny. Previously, Yuwen Huaji sent Yang Gongren to attack Yuan Baozang, but he was captured. Yang Gongren was the Duke of Wuyang County in the Sui Dynasty. At the end of the Daye period, he served as the ambassador of Henan Province, responsible for suppressing bandits, and Yuan Baozang was on the list of bandits to be suppressed.

As a result, Yang Gongren was captured by Yuan Baozang and was escorted to Chang'an by Yuan Baozang to ask for a reward. Even his title was transferred to Yuan Baozang.

Now, the son of the former Prince Yang Xiong, along with his brothers and sons, was tied up like dumplings and escorted to the capital. How many people in the court were waiting to see him make a fool of himself?

But who would have thought that when Yang Gongren arrived in Beijing, the sage personally untied his ropes, held his hand, and recalled the friendship they had when they were ministers in the same palace.

then,

The prisoner Yang Gongren was dressed in a purple robe and jade belt, and the emperor appointed him as the Yellow Gate Minister in charge of the Privy Council's edicts and appointed him as the Duke of Guanguo.

Even his younger brother Yang Shidao was chosen by the emperor and married to his recently widowed Princess Guiyang.

Recently, the court has conferred several new titles of dukes.

Sheng Yanshi killed Li Mi and was promoted to Duke of Ge, guarding Xiongzhou.

After Yang Gongren was escorted to the capital, he became the Imperial Secretary in charge of confidential matters and was granted the title of Duke of Guanguo.

Even his cousin was granted the title of Duke of Fanyang County for his contribution in pacifying Luo Yi of Youzhou and Deng Song of Yingzhou.

However, Wei Zheng was sent as an envoy to Shandong, where he persuaded Xu Shiji to return to the court and recruited Yuan Baozang, but he still only holds a fifth-rank position as a secretary and has not even obtained the title of a county baron.

The night wind blew the letter paper to the ground.

In a trance, he seemed to see his senior brother Wei Zheng crossing the river alone, running around among the military leaders in Shandong, trying his best to persuade them.

Li Yuan was sometimes very generous and conferred titles of duke and marquis at will, but sometimes he was quite stingy. His two senior brothers, Sun Fujia and Wei Zheng, also worked diligently for the court, but were not granted titles.

(End of this chapter)