Gu Xu left his courtyard, walked through two alleys, turned into a busy street, and saw his elixir workshop from a distance.
It was a two-story building with a simple shape, and there was a small courtyard behind it.
The crowd at the door was bustling, and the people inside were equally noisy. There are more than ten carriages parked outside the door, some carrying passengers, some transporting materials, and some carrying tools, tables and chairs.
There is a ladder set up on the side of the small building, and a carpenter is standing on it, concentrating on carving patterns on the windows.
Gu Xu knew that this place was not far from Luohe River, and it was considered a prosperous area in Luojing City where every inch of land was valuable.
"I don't have much capital on hand, but Shen Qiu was able to get the shop in this place. He is indeed quite capable." He looked at the small building in front of him and thought silently in his heart.
As soon as Gu Xu arrived at the door of the small building, two people came towards him.
One of them was no taller than Gu Xu's chest. He had a disproportionately large head and a pair of weird-shaped eyes. He was wearing a brightly colored brocade robe and looked ugly and funny.
It is Shen Qiu, the retainer who defected to Gu Xu's house not long ago.
The other person's face is relatively unfamiliar.
It was a middle-aged man with a thin body and a yellowish complexion. There were obvious wrinkles on his forehead and some sparse beard on his chin. He was wrapped in a thick cotton robe.
"Master Gu, you are here." After seeing Gu Xu, Shen Qiu immediately raised his hands and saluted.
The middle-aged man next to him was stunned for a moment, and then said, "Master Gu, I am Yang Shuo, who was responsible for managing the No. 6 elixir workshop in Qingzhou Prefecture. You should remember that at the end of last month we passed Token contacted."
"I remember," Gu Xu responded with a smile, "Mr. Yang recently traveled thousands of miles to the capital for this workshop. It was really hard."
< p>"It's not hard, it's not hard," Manager Yang shook his head repeatedly, "It's my honor to be able to help Mr. Gu."While speaking, Manager Yang was also quietly sizing up the young man in front of him. People only think that the other person is handsome and has a good temperament. Although he became famous at a young age, he is not domineering, but gives people a feeling of spring breeze when talking.
"No wonder the young lady fell in love with him," Manager Yang thought secretly, "Even the family's ancestral workshop was given to him without blinking an eye."
At the University In the Qi Dynasty, the threshold for becoming an alchemist was much lower than becoming a talisman master.
The Talismans are ever-changing and obscure, and it is not easy to understand them. Normally, it requires a monk to have extremely high understanding and a smart mind, and to master it after years of practice.
In contrast, getting started with alchemy is much simpler.
If you just want to refine some common elixirs like "Jingxin Dan" and "Eternal Brightness Pill" instead of creating new elixirs on your own, then the monks only need to strictly follow a specific process. , just put the raw materials into the alchemy furnace for refining.
It’s like following a recipe.
It only takes a period of training to become a "skilled worker".
When he first traveled to this world, Gu Xu once considered learning alchemy.
At that time, he thought that as long as he learned how to make alchemy, he would be able to achieve self-sufficiency in resources in the process of practice, without having to spend time doing tasks and earning merit.
But later he discovered that the biggest factor restricting him from learning alchemy was not his lack of talent, but his lack of "production means."
As we all know, refining elixirs requires the use of many different special medicinal materials.
These medicinal materials are difficult to find in the wild.
Scenes such as finding precious elixirs at street stalls, or going up to the mountains to pick a mushroom and discover that it is a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum will only exist in stories written by storytellers.
However, the royal family, aristocratic families, sects and sects of the Daqi Dynasty were able to rely on their own financial, human and material resources to construct medicinal gardens with special environments suitable for the growth of elixirs, and achieve large-scale production of medicinal materials. ; And these big forces will also trade and purchase elixirs among themselves.
For example, spiritual plants such as Jiaguo, Huangyan, Lavender, and Sugawei only grow within the sphere of influence of the Sichuan Sword Pavilion, and only the Shu Sword Sword Pavilion masters the method of cultivating them. If other families or sects want to use these plants to refine elixirs, they must purchase them from Shudi Jiange.
In addition, alchemy tools, such as alchemy furnaces, alchemy cauldrons, pomegranate jars, sugar pots, etc., are usually valuable, at least not something that the lower-level monks can afford casually.
Because of this, the elixirs of the Daqi Dynasty were often produced in the form of workshops.
Aristocratic families and sects established workshops, medicinal materials and tools, and then recruited monks from the people as labor force. These employed monks can get a certain salary by refining elixirs, but the elixirs will eventually belong to their employers.
A large part of the elixirs in the Exorcist Treasury are purchased from these families and sects.
At the beginning, as a "proletarian", Gu Xu felt that it was more cost-effective to work for the government yamen than working for these "capitalists", with better pay and a higher social status, and Chen Jisheng did not treat him well. Thin.
So he no longer spent time and energy studying the art of alchemy, but focused on the study of talisman spells.
And today, when Gu Xu, led by Shen Qiu and Manager Yang, walked from the first floor to the second floor of the small building, and from the front lobby to the backyard, he saw a box placed on the ground. He was in a trance when he saw the pill furnaces with complex formations carved on their surfaces.
"Unconsciously, I turned from a worker to a boss." He sighed silently in his heart.
There are currently five alchemists in this branch workshop in the capital.
Three of them are from Qingzhou Prefecture, brought by an old lady who is over seventy years old.Two of his apprentices.
The old lady’s name is Wang Shuzhen. She has a third-level cultivation level. She has been refining elixirs for the Shi family more than 20 years ago.
Not long ago, the "Nine Infant Snake Demon" broke out and caused a terrible disaster in Qingzhou Prefecture. Although it has been sealed again by the Imperial Master, Mrs. Wang is still worried about the lives of herself, her family, and her apprentices.
Therefore, when Shen Qiu invited her to work in a branch workshop in Luojing City, Mrs. Wang agreed without hesitation and brought her family and two apprentices with her. Moved here.
"Old Mrs. Wang, this is Jin Yangzi, the head of the Exorcism Department, the guest teacher at Longmen Academy, and the recognized Talisman Master Gu Xugu in Luo Jing City." Manager Yang introduced her.
Hearing what he said, Mrs. Wang Shuzhen stood up from her seat, looked at Gu Xu with squinted eyes, and then said slowly, "So this is my uncle. He is indeed a talented person. Follow Miss Shi." What a perfect match."
Manager Yang smiled awkwardly and explained, "Master Gu and Miss Shi are not engaged yet, so let's not call them that."
Gu San" What's the matter if you're not engaged yet?" Mrs. Wang frowned and said, "Such a handsome young man must be very popular in Luojing City. If you don't tie him to your side early, aren't you afraid of being snatched away by others?"
Manager Yang immediately turned to Gu Xu and said, "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Wang has always been outspoken and always says whatever comes to her mind. I hope you won't take it too seriously."
Gu Xu smiled lightly, Said he didn't mind.
It can be seen that the relationship between Mrs. Wang and Shi Xiaohan should be quite good. Talking about Shi Xiaohan’s expression and attitude is almost like talking about her own granddaughter; as for Shi Xiaohan’s life events, She was obviously very worried, too.
The other two alchemists were recruited by Shen Qiu from Luojing City in recent days.
They are all first-level monks. They came here because they admired Gu Xu’s reputation, and are now familiar with the working environment and alchemy process here under the guidance of Mrs. Wang Shuzhen.
Currently, there is still a sign recruiting alchemists and alchemy apprentices outside the workshop.
"Master Gu, two more monks will come here tomorrow," Shen Qiu said to Gu Xu, "If they can successfully pass the assessment, they can help Mrs. Wang share some of the work."< /p>
"What is this?"
At this moment, Gu Xu found a pair of silk wedding curtains spread on the table next to him, with the words "Forever wedded to one heart, Luan and Fenghe" written on it. "Ming" are several big characters.
He felt a little puzzled, wondering if someone in this workshop was getting married
Seeing Gu Xu's expression, Shen Qiu smiled and explained, "In order to open this branch workshop, I borrowed a thousand taels of silver from the Wynn Chamber of Commerce in Luojing City last month. Since Ye Hui of the Wynn Chamber of Commerce is very optimistic about your development prospects, Mr. Gu, and wants to have a good relationship with you, he waived most of the interest.interest.
“As a favor, we also want to give him some gifts to express our friendly attitude. Recently, Ye Huishou’s son just got engaged, so we gave him a wedding veil, which also means that he will have a son soon. The red dates, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds are undoubtedly more appropriate."
Gu Xu nodded, and then glanced at a painting hanging on the wall showing carps playing in the water, with the words "Wealth and wealth are abundant." "An embroidered decorative painting with four large characters, he asked Shen Qiu, "If I guess correctly, this embroidery should be a gift from others."
"This is Mr. Liu Qu, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet. "I sent someone to deliver it," Shen Qiu replied, "and I also gave him a can of Langya wine as a gift. Mr. Liu likes drinking, and you are from Qingzhou, so you gave him the Langya wine, a specialty of Qingzhou, as a gift. , couldn't be more suitable.
"In addition, Commander Wang from the Imperial Guard also sent us a pill furnace. Since his son was just one month old, I gave him a gold longevity lock as a gift in return, and drew talismans to ward off evil spirits on the longevity lock.
""
In the next period of time, Shen Qiu told Gu Xu about his recent relationships with the wealthy officials and wealthy families in Luojing City.
Gu Xu must admit that Shen Qiu is indeed an expert in handling these matters. He knows the personalities, preferences, and even family situations of these big shots in the capital very well, and every gift can suit their liking. Just the right gift.
Even if it were me who had the power of "wisdom", there was no guarantee that I could do better than Shen Qiu in this regard.
After all, Shen Qiu came from a wealthy family and was a sensitive concubine. He had been exposed to such things since he was a child. It is difficult for others to have such knowledge and experience as him.
"Master Gu, after discussing with Manager Yang recently, I feel that if this workshop is to be developed in the capital in the future, it would be best to have a new name." Shen Qiu pondered for a moment and continued, "If we continue The name of the Beijing branch of the No. 6 Alchemy Workshop is somewhat inappropriate and not easy for others to remember.
"How about you give it a new name?"
Gu Xu thought for a while and said, "How about the name Shouchangfang?"
Hearing his words, Shen Qiu repeatedly praised "What a good name", but he couldn't help but think of Gu Xu's name. There was a study room called "Changshengzhai", and I felt that Mr. Gu was really obsessed with the concept of "longevity".
Afterwards, Shen Qiu brought plain white rice paper for Gu Xu and spread it on the table. .
Gu Xu took out the "Jinghong Pen" and wrote three beautiful, graceful and elegant characters "Shuchangfang" on the paper without dipping it in ink.
When he put down the brush, these three words flew up from the paper, floated into the air, and then turned into a plaque, which was hung on the top of the door of the small building.
At this time, he discovered. , Shen Qiu, Guanshi Yang, old lady Wang Shuzhen, several alchemists, the handymen carrying furniture and furnaces, and the craftsmen who were busy carving on the window lattice, all stopped their work and gathered together.When he reached his side, he raised his head and stared at this mysterious scene.
After a brief silence, Shen Qiu took the lead in applauding.
Then everyone started clapping.
They all had smiles on their faces, and they seemed to have imagined in their minds a scene in which this "Shuchangfang" would prosper and everyone would make a lot of money.
"No wonder they say life needs a sense of ritual." Seeing such a scene, Gu Xu sighed silently in his heart.
That afternoon, while Gu Xu was busy handling matters in the elixir workshop, Zhao Yan rode a horse and took her maid Qiu Yan to the city north of Luohe River.
Compared to Nancheng District, where there are rows of mansions and wide and clean streets, this place is obviously much dirtier and more chaotic.
The simple houses are crowded together, and the ground is full of mud, sewage and garbage.
Zhao Yan jumped off the back of the horse "Big Red", held its reins, and walked a long distance on the uneven bluestone road.
Pedestrians around her were attracted by her eye-catching red dress and her enchanting appearance, and they all cast their eyes at her.
But Zhao Yan seemed completely unaware.
She kept her head lowered, staring at the road under her feet for a long time.
Vaguely, she seemed to catch a glimpse of not only mud, sewage, and broken branches and leaves on the ground, but also scarlet blood flowing.
Blood flowed from her feet, soaking her red sheepskin boots.
But when she blinked, the blood disappeared in an instant, and it seemed that it was just an illusion in her mind.
Then she glanced to the right and saw a broken street sign that read "No. 30 Huansha Lane".
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