"What do you think?" Li Wufeng, who was casually sitting on the cool Jingzhu recliner and absentmindedly reading a book, stretched out and took the fresh and juicy honeydew melon from Di Leina who was sitting next to him. At the same time, he motioned to Mo Lun, who was opposite him, to taste it as he pleased.
This wave of honeydew melon is a specialty of the northwest of the empire. It is sweet and juicy, with thin skin and thick flesh. It also melts into dregs to relieve the heat. It is a rare thirst-quenching treat in midsummer. However, this product has a special place of origin. It is only produced in sandy land with groundwater. It is neither drought nor wet tolerant, and it needs long sunlight time, otherwise it will change its flavor and become a defective product. In addition, its yield is not high and it cannot be stored. The price is high. It is quite expensive, so only wealthy families in the northwest can afford it.
Morun also picked up a large piece without ceremony and ate it hungrily. He was already fat, and the hot weather made it even more unbearable for him. He had applied for leave to Xiao Tang twice but was rejected by Xiao Tang due to work reasons, which made him very dissatisfied.
Molun's lustful eyes kept staring at the thinly dressed Di Leina. The semen flowing down the corner of her mouth made it impossible to tell whether it was the juice of the melon flesh or the saliva secreted by the mouth. Dilena, who had just taken a shower, had her long, wet flaxen hair casually pulled into a bun. Her beige robe made her flawless white skin particularly eye-catching, and even the embroidered underwear she wore underneath seemed to be slightly visible. , a charming look.
Seeing Di Leina lovingly wiping the melon juice from Li Wufeng's hand, the sight of the little bird snuggling up to her could not help but make Mo Lun snort jealously, but this did not affect his answer to Li Wufeng's question.
"This matter must be carefully considered. Whether it is agreed or rejected, it will involve sensitive issues. We must study it carefully and come up with countermeasures." Obviously, Molun was not sure about this matter. He rushed to the Jiedushi Mansion as soon as the lunch break was over, but was told by the guards that the Jiedushi Master did not come to work in the afternoon, so he went directly to Li Wufeng's residence to report.
The matter happened suddenly, leaving no time to think about it. In view of the importance of the matter, Mo Lun did not dare to make a decision lightly, so he had to report it to Li Wufeng for consideration.
The Yuli people are a relatively small tribe located on the Tengger Grassland, with a total population of less than 60,000. They are sandwiched between the Luobi and Mote people, and surrendered to the Luobi more than ten years ago. This morning, Molun received a report from local officials who were preparing to establish the three northwest towns that representatives of the Yuli people had secretly contacted them and asked the entire tribe to move to the northwest of Qingyang Prefecture to settle in the hope that the Qingyang local government could accept them. And ensure their safety and treatment as equal residents of Qingyang area. In exchange, they are willing to recognize the jurisdiction of the Qingyang local government over them and promise to assume their due responsibilities and obligations.
Due to the seriousness of the situation, local officials urgently reported to the Qingyang City Guards Yamen. After receiving the report, Molun did not dare to neglect. After a brief conversation with the representatives from the Yuli people, he placed the representatives from the Yuli people and quickly reported to Xiao Tang reported, and Xiao Tang also believed that the matter was not trivial, involving the direction of foreign policy, and asked him to report directly to Li Wufeng, so Mo Lun came directly to Li Wufeng.
Seeing that the two began to discuss work, Direna packed up the fruit plate and left. After watching the beautiful figure disappear, Morun reluctantly looked back and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Hey, Mo Lun, you should pay attention to your image. You are now the head of a government, not a disciple living in the imperial capital. People who know about it will not tell you. People who don't know still think that we are officials in the northwest. It's people like you who are in trouble." Li Wufeng teased Mo Lun.
"It doesn't hurt to sit and talk. You are surrounded by beauties every day. It's a pity that we still have to run around day and night to work for you. When we go home at night, it's a long night and we can't sleep alone." Molun shook his head and sighed.
Wu Feng sneered at this, "Come on, come on, don't pretend to be noble in front of me. I heard that someone bought a beautiful female slave from a passing slave caravan two days ago. Well, by the way, listen. She’s still an Indian beauty!”
Wu Feng's words immediately made Mo Lun blush, and he became a little angry: "It must be Cui Wenxiu, a villain who happened to meet him that day. He wanted to tease others, but I gave him a stern lesson before he left in despair. , so he went around ruining people’s reputations. He molested women, so the supervisory department should investigate and deal with him."
Wu Feng felt happy in his heart, "Wenxiu just said something fair, why did he turn into teasing women?"
Mo Lun choked and said nothing. Wu Feng continued: "He said that a flower stuck in cow dung is really ``````, alas!"
Molun was overjoyed and said, "He did go too far. For the sake of being an old friend, I didn't argue with him."
"No, you misunderstood. What I meant was that it was too insightful!" Wu Feng finished speaking seriously, and Mo Lun realized that he had been deceived.
Seeing Mo Lun's furious look, Wu Feng continued calmly: "I also heard reports from the supervision department that some officials lingered in sex venues at night, which seriously damaged the image of our northwest county government officials."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Lun's heart immediately rose, and he beat his drum secretly, not daring to talk to him again.
"I ask the supervisory department to investigate and deal with it seriously. No matter who he involves, we must investigate him to the end!" Wu Feng's words are serious.
"Well, well, government officials are actually human beings too. You also said that relaxing is the way of civility and martial arts. It's okay for people to have fun during their breaks." Molun said bravely to defend those behaviors.
"Well, it seems that you also behave like this," Wu Feng stared at Mo Lun's embarrassed expression with a half-smile, "In this case, I also agree with your opinion. I heard that Qingyang has just opened a new restaurant called Shuiyue Champs. The place is said to be the Liansuo branch of Shuiyue Xiangxie in Yuhang Prefecture, Jiangnan. The style is extraordinary. Although the price is high, it is still full every night. It is also said that Tao Qian, the "Piano Saint" who has become famous in Jiangnan recently, will also come to perform. , how about you invite me to watch it?"
Molun screamed in his heart that he had been fooled, but he had to agree.
"Also, you have to give me a reasonable reason for them." Wu Feng smacked his lips toward the back room.
"Okay, it's time to get down to business. This matter is indeed a bit troublesome. Our relationship with the Luobi people is relatively good now. They control our main trade routes. Once the relationship deteriorates due to this matter, we may suffer heavy losses. . But if we don’t accept it, there will be considerable negative effects. Those small forces and tribes that have always defected to us will be disheartened, and it will also be a huge blow to our image." Wu Feng rubbed it gently. own forehead.
"Yes, the Luobi people have always regarded the Yuli people as a branch of their tribe. If we accept the Yuli people, they will definitely let it go. In addition, there are many forces within the Luobi people that are opposed to living peacefully with us. , will definitely take this opportunity to stir up trouble. Our economy has just started to pick up, and the export of goods depends largely on this northern trade route. Once it is interrupted, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Well, I understand this. Now let's see if we can come up with a solution that is acceptable to both parties. However, it is indeed very difficult to get the Luobi people to accept it." Wu Feng had already stood up, with his hands behind his back, walking around the green I walked slowly in the small courtyard lined with trees, thinking hard.
"Alas, in the future we still have to find ways to provide more routes for goods to be shipped, otherwise we will be too passive once we are controlled by others. We also have to find ways to open up the joints of the five countries in the Western Region and work to see if we can get them to lower their tariffs. In this way Once we come here, we can reduce the pressure of relying on the northern passage." Li Wufeng pondered.
"I'm afraid it's difficult. Countries in the Western Region have always had higher tariffs, and they belong to several countries. It's probably unrealistic to hope to take this path unless we can control their survival rights. But this is far from quenching the thirst for near water. , the top priority is how to answer the representatives of the Yuli people." Mo Lun shook his head and disapproved of Li Wufeng's idea.
"I know this, I just feel it." To be honest, Wufeng has not come up with a way to get the best of both worlds until now. What worries him even more is that this incident has also disrupted the military plan he is about to deploy. plan.
"Let's do this, Mo Lun, you first arrange for the Yuli envoy to have a good rest and tell him that we will give him a satisfactory answer in the next two days, but we must keep it confidential." In the end, Li Wufeng still had no better idea, so he had to let Mo Lun Leave first.
In early summer in the northwest, the weather is hot and dry during the day, but in the evening, the temperature has dropped significantly. Coupled with the cool wind blowing down from the snow-capped mountains in the distance, it makes people feel more relaxed and happy.
Wu Feng, who was dressed in plain clothes, mingled with the crowd and followed them to a well-known teahouse in the south of the city. It was now business time. Many tourists and locals who were away from home liked to come here to have a drink after dinner. A bowl of tea, while relaxing and chatting to pass the time.
Wu Feng hadn't gone out alone like this for a long time. Originally, the guards were determined to follow him out, but at Wu Feng's insistence, they had no choice but to put on disguises and stay far away in the streets and alleys to keep watch.
"Boss, have a bowl of tea." Wu Feng walked up to the teahouse and glanced at the seat facing the window. The seat facing the street was almost full. There was only one young man sitting alone on a tea seat, and there were He was in a position, but the young man had a cold attitude, which made people feel unapproachable at first sight. Maybe that was why no one sat at the same table with him.
After signaling to borrow the light, Wu Feng sat on the only available seat without any courtesy. Looking from the street, the light blue cloth cover is dancing in the evening breeze, and the big Chinese character "tea" is still clearly visible.
The young man sitting across the table glanced sideways at Wu Feng, completely ignoring Wu Feng's greeting and still looking out the window at the market.
Wu Feng, who hit a nail, didn't care. He picked up the tea given by Dr. Tea, blew on the jasmine flowers floating on the water, and took a sip. Looking at the tea guests taking a break from their busy schedule, Wu Feng, who was originally a little depressed, couldn't help but feel a sense of joy in his heart.
Sitting behind him were probably two small businessmen, talking enthusiastically about their respective businesses, "Old Du, I heard that you made a lot of money from this trip."
"Well, it's okay. The porcelain we sell here is really sold at a high price over there. If we weren't too timid this time and didn't dare to bring too many goods, we would have shipped it just this time." The old man with a mustache Du replied enthusiastically.
"This trip has lasted more than three months. How was the situation along the way? I heard that there are many fewer checkpoints in the Luobi territory now, and the attitudes of the soldiers along the way are also much better. Is it true?" Asked that person The person talking to Lao Du was also about the same age as Lao Du. They were both in their forties and had a northwest accent. They were obviously locals.
"Well, although those soldiers still want benefits, their attitude is much better than before, and they no longer dare to blatantly extort money. The most important thing is that these people no longer dare to detain our goods at will. The public security situation has also improved. Young Master. It seems that our good days have finally come. Lao Meng, you have to seize the opportunity to make two more trips there. I will go to the Famini Empire again next week. I learned about it through the Chamber of Commerce. The price is better, this time I have to plan carefully and try to make a lot of money from him." Lao Du proudly persuaded his old friend.
"To tell you the truth, Lao Du, I'm going to Heidelberg the day after tomorrow. I spent a lot of money to buy these two carts of tea from Jiangnan Transport. I've already found a car dealer, so I'm ready to do this. Business. Alas, my son is about to marry a wife, so I need to save two more. But this boy is looking for no one but an Indian woman who was born a slave. Her eyes are brown and her hair is brown. I Even my mother and I can't stand it, but this kid insists on it, and we can't persuade him no matter how hard he tries." Lao Meng shook his head and sighed.
"Hey, so do you. Let the younger generation make their own decisions. What's more, who cares about your origin and ethnicity here? Mr. Li has already clearly stipulated that no one can have any ethnicity or nationality. It’s not like you don’t know that discrimination based on race and origin means that everyone is equal,” Lao Du said disapprovingly.
"I didn't mean that, I just looked different from us Tang people at first glance, and I'm a little uncomfortable with it." That old Meng was also a little embarrassed.
"Hey, you'll get used to it after watching it for a long time. Tomorrow, we will make a lot of money, and we plan to marry another Famini woman." The more Lao Du thought about it, the happier he became.
Although he was looking out the window, he could clearly hear the conversation between the two people behind him, and Wu Feng couldn't help but feel a little worried again in his heart. It seems that this trade route does involve the livelihood of many people. I really need to do a good accounting. It turns out that I was a little too optimistic.