Chapter 11 Section 5 Lu Buwei boldly accepts the entrustment of the downcast

For three or four days in a row, Fan Ju followed Lu Buwei around Chencheng with great interest.Whenever Lu Buwei dealt with business affairs, Fan Ju would listen and watch, and when there was no one, it would be a series of inquisitive inquiries.Lu Buwei answered every question, and explained every case clearly.After a few days, Fan Ju had a general talk about the vast ocean-like business market, and he sighed that there is a sky beyond the sky. There was nothing to do that day, so Fan Ju asked Lu Buwei what was the secret of the two extraordinarily tall warehouses in Shangzhan Valley?Without saying a word, Lu Buwei led Fan Ju to the tall house by the lake.There was no order from Lu Buwei, and a strong deacon came running from the Populus euphratica forest, and the two iron-clad wooden doors more than three feet high automatically rumbled open.When the gate is a screen wall that is almost as high as the gate, the bluestone ground on both sides of the screen wall has ruts that are inches deep.Walking past the screen wall, there is a large amount of sunlight on the roof, and the huge house is not dark at all. You can see rows of tall objects that are almost touching the roof. They are divided into three areas and arranged neatly. The indoor canyon looks small when people stand under it.

"Four-wheel ladder!" Fan Ju shouted in surprise. "Brother Fan, people say that the soldiers of the State of Qin are excellent. Let's see how I am. Can I enter the Lantian camp?" The so-called "big soldiers" is the term for large weapons.Fan Ju used to be the prime minister of the Qin State, so he is naturally familiar with the main weapons of the Qin army, and he also likes to talk about military affairs on weekdays. Seeing that Lu Buwei wanted to ask him to comment, he went to the side and looked at it carefully for a while, and praised: "The ladder can be made so finely Exquisite, rare in the world! What is the asking price for a car?"

"Brother Fan should know the market conditions of soldiers, how much do you think they are on duty?" "Forty gold. Ten gold more than ordinary ladders, fair trade." "Brother Fan really knows how to fight." Lu Buwei smiled, "Based on the price of the goods, forty gold is not bad. My ladder, the wheels, and the warehouse are all wrapped in fine iron, and the body and ladder body are all made of Lingnan water mist Not only is it as hard as iron, but it is also extremely difficult to burn. Apart from kerosene, ordinary torches are useless. If you really want to bid, fifty gold is also in short supply. However, I have always traded weapons for one price per country, and the dead price is not fixed. It costs thirty gold to sell to Chu, and twenty gold to Zhao. If it is to be sold to Qin, it will cost about a hundred gold."

Fan Ju's eyes flickered and he laughed teasingly, "I'm still a Mohist disciple, who loves non-offensive and fights against Qin righteousness?" "Brother Fan, Mohist disciples have no merchants." Lu Buwei shook his head with a smile. "Zhao is in danger of destroying the country, and Chu is in danger of distress. It's a different matter. Qin is a country that bullies the weak, so it should be inappropriate to help." Fan Ju smiled lightly: "Qin never buys weapons from merchants." "..." Lu Buwei was surprised. "Buwei, do you have any business in Qin State?"

"No." "Have you ever been to Qin State?" "No." "It's a pity!" Fan Ju sighed, "Striving for fame in the court is for the benefit of the market. The world's largest commercial city, the dignified merchants and travelers turned a blind eye, alas!" Lu Buwei laughed loudly: "Okay, as long as there is a big business, I will go to Xianyang to fight for profit!" Fan Ju was about to speak when he saw an old man with white beard and hair hurried in and whispered something in Lu Buwei's ear.Lu Buwei nodded, turned around and cupped his hands and said, "Brother Fan, see for yourself, I'll be back in a while." After saying that, he followed the old man with white beard and hair.

At twilight, Fan Ju was strolling by the Populus euphratica forest looking at the sunset, but saw Lu Buwei coming from the lake, and greeted him: "Buwei is in a hurry, is it possible that the business trip has changed?" Lu Buwei laughed: "Brother Fan, half of his foot is still in the mud I'm afraid I'll have to pull it out for a while." Fan Ju's eyes flashed, and his laziness was swept away: "Is there any news from Shicang?" "It's not Shicang." Lu Buwei shook his head, "A Chu merchant is looking for Brother Fan in Chencheng."

"Chu merchants?" Fan Juda was puzzled, "I have never had any contact with merchants, so what Chu merchants do I know?" "The businessman is fake, but the investigation is real. Brother Fan just thought, what is there to do?" Fan Ju frowned and said, "The only unfinished business is the wife's small manor." "No." Lu Buwei shook his head again, "Brother Fan's family affairs are in order, and there is no emergency." "Hey!" Fan Ju was surprised, "How do you know?" Lu Buwei couldn't help laughing: "Business travels all over the world, how difficult is it to get news?"

"No Wei, I finally understand: Lu Zhonglian is a powerful and unconstrained style, but why did he make you a businessman friend." "Such trivial things are nothing to worry about." Lu Buwei put it aside, and his tone became a little urgent, "I'm just worried, maybe it's the old King Qin who is suspicious and repeated..." But he stopped suddenly, just looked at Fan Ju and stopped talking . After a while of silence, Fan Ju carefully said: "Old Qin Wang's nature, as long as someone supports his achievements, he can do things well. He killed Bai Qi in the first place because he was in danger. To be honest, there is no personal grudge in him. If I don't recommend Cai Ze So he walked away, it is really in danger. With Cai Ze's support now, it should be normal." Lu Buwei thought: "Even so, but you can't be careless. Instead of letting this person wander around mysteriously, it's better to preemptively strike. "Fan Ju's eyes lit up immediately: "Just talk about it." After Lu Buwei finished speaking in a low voice, Fan Ju smiled: "The way of seeking people is mastered by Buwei. That's it."

In the middle of the night, a middle-aged man dressed as a Chu merchant was "invited" into Tianji Yu's study. Lu Buwei asked in a deep voice with a straight face: "Dare to ask, why are you wandering around in my manor in the middle of the night?" "There is a reason for this, sir." The middle-aged man said with a calm smile in Wei dialect, "I am from Daliang, and I am in the jewelry business in Jingchu. Three years ago, an adult came to our shop to order high-quality goods. There are nine sets of Jingshan jade pendants, and it is agreed that the gold and jade will be cleared in one year. After that, the lord has not heard from him. At the beginning of the night, I went down outside the Nanguo Wine House. I accidentally found the black car of the lord, so I followed him, thinking about it. It is the mansion of the lord, so I want to settle the business with the lord. Unexpectedly, the car enters the village, and I don’t know where to go after a few turns, so I look around. Now that I see you, please tell me: that lord is the owner of your villa. ? If you can see it and close the business, you can leave right away. Is it right?"

"Which adult has a high name and surname?" "My lord makes a secret business agreement, and merchants are not allowed to reveal the names of guest officials." "There are a lot of customers in my village, how can I find them if I don't know their names?" "I just ask the owner of the car to pick it up as soon as he sees it." "Secret business, there must be a token. If I can get it with one step, I will ask the adults to identify it." "Medium." The man in yellow shirt thought for a while, then took out something from his leather bag and handed it over with both hands, with a very respectful expression.As soon as Lu Buwei lifted the silk rope, the thing shone strangely under the copper lamp. When he looked closely, it turned out to be a black oval-shaped jade disc with interlaced inscriptions.Lu Buwei looked at it slowly and asked: "What is the inscription on the jade bi?"

The face of the man in the yellow shirt suddenly became gloomy: "This is an order token from your lord. You shouldn't ask, sir, and I shouldn't say it." "Okay, wait a moment, I'll go right away." "No!" The yellow-shirted guest's eyes flashed, "Sir, you are cheating, give me back the jade!" At the same time as he spoke, he suddenly flew into the air like lightning, and the jade in Lu Buwei's hand disappeared, but the yellow-shirted guest had already arrived. In the foyer, figures flew out from both sides at the same time, pinching the man in yellow shirt from left to right. "Who are you waiting for!" the man in the yellow shirt roared, and a dagger swept across the left and right figures like lightning. "Xi beg for nothing." With a cough, the gray-bearded Fan Ju walked out from behind the big screen leisurely. The man in the yellow shirt stopped suddenly, glanced at him and bowed deeply: "I am begging for wood in the lower west, see Yinghou." "What are you doing here?" "I am ordered to look for Yinghou and report something important." Lu Buwei smiled and said: "The study is clean and no one is there, so Brother Fan hangs around here with the guests. I'll go and settle the food and drink." Fan Ju knew that this was Lu Buwei's plan just in case. Qi Mu brought the idea of ​​his own small courtyard, said you come with me, and brought Xi Qi into the secret room of the study behind the big screen. At four o'clock, Lu Buwei ordered the elders to invite Fan Ju to have a drink with the guests, but the elders came to report that there was no one in the study, and the light in the husband's small courtyard was also dark.At this time, the deacon hiding in the Populus euphratica forest outside the study also came to report that the guest had left, and the husband wandered around the lake for a while before returning to the small courtyard.Lu Buwei was extremely tired, he didn't have time to think about it for a while, he fell down on the couch and snored loudly.It wasn't until nearly noon that Lu Buwei was woken up by the elder, saying that the master had prepared a banquet under the thatched pavilion of Tianji Residence and was waiting for him.Lu Buwei hurriedly left the couch and took a bath in cold water, then came under the thatched pavilion with his sleeves loose. Fan Ju clasped his hands under the pavilion and laughed, "Today, we will turn to customers, so Buwei will taste the flavor of my Daliang." Lu Buwei entered the pavilion and saw that there were several famous Daliang dishes on the large stone table: elk stew, tripod meat, big river carp, Huocai soup, pounded noodle cakes, a large plate of golden rice balls, two barrels of Daliang old wine, Both expensive and homely, it is extraordinarily attractive.Lu Buwei couldn't help laughing and said: "Daliang Restaurant has superb cooking skills and is well-known in Chencheng. I forgot to invite Brother Fan to visit the hometown. I am ashamed." Fan Ju laughed loudly: "Why am I so disciplined? This is It was sent by Daliang Restaurant." "Oh, he didn't leave that 'hit or miss'?" "I'm definitely leaving now." Fan Ju said with a smile, "This person is also strange. He is clearly an old Qin person, and he is usually quite dull. Last night, he spoke pure and eloquent words, and he was eloquent. It is really hard to figure out. .” "In this case, this person is the Black Ice Terrace of Qin State." "Hey! Do you know the Black Ice Terrace?" "Everyone knows the way of business and travel." Lu Buwei sat in front of the stone case, "There are many strange talents in the Black Ice Terrace. At the beginning of his debut, the big merchants in Shandong were shocked, and they paid a lot of money to recruit dead guards. Later, I saw the Black Ice Terrace. Do things according to the rules, only enter the official residences of various countries, never disturb the businessmen and the people, so no one cares about it." Seeing Fan Ju thoughtful, Lu Buwei's heart tightened, "This 'not in the middle' is a black ice platform , Could it be that the old Qin King has his eyes on Brother Fan again?" Fan Ju shook his head: "It's the prince, Ying Zhu." "Prince?" Lu Buwei was inexplicably surprised, "Brother Fan has grievances with the prince?" "It's neither grievance nor entanglement, it's just a matter of incident." Fan Ju told all the stories after the Changping War, and finally sighed heavily, "Since Qin Xiaogong, the three generations and four monarchs have all been strong. In this fourth generation, there is actually a whole crop of soft-footed sons, it is unbearable to see, and the number is fate, it is really sad!" Lu Buwei said indifferently: "A gentleman will be killed in the third generation. Brother Fan should understand this. If you are still worried, it means that the root of Qin has not been broken. You might as well go back to Xianyang and become prime minister again." "Cross the boat and ask for the sword." Fan Ju said with a straight face, "Do you want to be an official again if the rest of the affairs are not over? Thanks to you, a business traveler!" Lu Buwei couldn't help laughing: "Looks like Brother Fan already has his plans in mind: just settle things and don't look back." "Of course!" Fan Ju slapped the case quite proudly, "I have expected this joint, and recommending Shicang is a good way to deal with the aftermath. Unexpectedly, this old man flirted with him when he first started his career, which was unexpected! Let's see now Come on, if I didn't recommend Shi Cang back then, this matter would have fallen on Cai Ze's shoulders. After recommending Shi Cang, as soon as Shi Cang left, Ying Zhu would naturally stick to the old man. You said, can't this work? " "In this way, the old prince is not stupid." "These words are so weak! If you are not stupid, you are a good monarch?" "A good lord can't help you and me, why are you in a hurry?" Lu Buwei laughed when he saw Fan Ju's restlessness, "Come! You are hungry, eat first and drink first. Daliang cuisine is very particular about hot food." Fan Ju filled a bowl of fragrant Daliang wine and said with a smile, "Make a bowl first, Brother Fan will open the pot again." Fan Ju finished a bowl of Lanling wine and said with a smile: "It's clear about business travel, but it's polite like an old Confucian. There is no bell, and the cauldron needs to be opened!" He hooked the heavy cauldron cover with a copper hook in the copper plate, and the smell of stewed elk immediately permeated, and he bowed his hands in a serious manner, "I have a distinguished guest, show me how to go around. Please." "Four males and scorpions, Zhou Dao is too late." Lu Buwei also recited a sentence in a serious manner. "Hey! Can you come too?" "Courtesy is not right, does it mean that the host is left out in the cold?" The chanting between the two was originally a kind of etiquette for reciprocating with poems during banquets in the Spring and Autumn Period.The meaning of Fan Ju's verses is: my distinguished guest, please show me the way.The meaning of Lu Buwei's answering poem is: Although there are four horses and high chariots like flying, this road is too far away.Fan Ju originally felt that Lu Buwei's etiquette was too meticulous, so he simply used this ancient etiquette to make things difficult for him. He didn't want Lu Buwei to answer in response, Fan Ju was naturally very surprised.The two laughed for a while and began to eat, and in a short time they ate up the whole case of Liang's wine and vegetables. After drinking and eating, Fan Ju thought to himself: "The day after tomorrow will be ten days. If Shicang doesn't come, I will leave." Lu Buwei said: "Why do you need to pinch so accurately? Even if I have something to do, Brother Fan can just wait here. Are you in a hurry?" Fan Ju's eyes flashed but he asked back: "Where are you going this time?" Lu Buwei smiled and said, "Brother Fan has something to do, but it's easy to say, why bother to ask." Fan Ju was silent for a while, and finally said solemnly "Find someone for me, and help me a little depending on the situation." Lu Buwei said: "You just say, what kind of person is he?" Lu Buwei was stunned, and said with a smile: "Is there any need to look for such people? They are hostages of a country, and they have a great name." "One moment and another moment. You just say, is it difficult for you?" "It's not difficult to find someone." Lu Buwei smiled, "I just don't know: I'm a business traveler, how can I help such people? If Brother Fan goes to Handan with me, you can tell me to do it." "I can enter Handan, so why bother you?" Fan Ju said with a straight face, "Not to mention Zhao's secret scouts, if I move, the city will be full of storms, and if I don't make it right, the dispute between the two powers will be provoked again. There is another case. The king of Qin avenged me. He once threatened Lord Pingyuan to enter Qin and imprisoned Lord Pingyuan for two months. He forced Zhao State to hand over the head of Wei Qi. This action not only humiliated Lord Pingyuan, but also turned Wei State against Zhao State. You say, I entered Handan It’s not enough to avoid disaster, but can you stretch your hands and feet to do things?” Lu Buwei laughed suddenly: "I'm so confused, why didn't I think of it. Needless to say, I'll do it!" "If there is a large amount of expenses, I will inform An Guojun to double the compensation." Fan Ju added seriously. "Brother Fan is out of order!" Lu Buwei's smiling face sank in a rare way, "I was entrusted by Brother Fan, but what do I have to do with a certain gentleman? If Brother Fan treats this matter as an order of state affairs, Wei Wei can't do it." Obedience." "Twist it." Fan Ju waved his hand again and again, "Business travel has profit and loss. You don't have a good impression of Qin State in the first place. If you lose money because of this, wouldn't the gain outweigh the gain? Only this ear, never think about state affairs." Lu Buwei laughed loudly: "Brother Fan tempted me, but the description became darker and darker! If you don't think about state affairs, you will fall into injustice. Money is gone for a good friend, how can you use it for profit? ?” "Okay! My brother apologizes." After Fan Ju finished speaking, he got up and bowed deeply. "Laughing, joking, killing me too!" Lu Buwei laughed and stood up quickly to support Fan Ju.