Chapter 639: Almost Enough

Walk another two kilometers from Nanlou Pass and you will reach the Longquan Inn recommended by Qin Feng.

This place is like a small town, with a lot of people coming and going. There are several restaurants and inns, and a long street.

Not far from this small town is a military camp named Nanlouying. It was specially set up to guard the southern road into Beijing and was under the jurisdiction of the Beijing government.

This small town, also called Nanlouying Town or Nanjiao Town, mainly serves large caravans.

Because the procedures for large groups to enter Beijing are cumbersome, some businessmen would simply negotiate their business here to save trouble, and then leave Beijing directly and return.

Even if they wanted to enter the capital, they had to wait until a specific time before they could load goods into the capital, so this small town in the southern suburbs gradually became a gathering place for caravans from all over the country entering the capital. Here, merchants could get first-hand information and it was easier to do business than in the city.

Each inn not only provides food and accommodation, but also has warehouses for rent. Qin Yao saw that the layout looked like a large logistics city on the edge of a modern city.

Qin Feng was so busy that he did not show up until Qin Yao's family had finished dinner.

As soon as he arrived at the inn, before he could even say hello to Qin Yao, he was pulled into a private room by someone he knew. He entertained them until late at night before he was able to leave.

Most merchants are like this. Qin Yao, who did not have much social interaction and directly took over a counter shop in Beijing, is actually an exception.

In the end, it all comes down to power. The class barriers between scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are stubborn, and merchants are the lowest class. Although Shengguo has just issued a decree to encourage commercial relaxation, the scholar class still looks down on merchants.

However, those who look down on them are attracted by their money, so most merchants in the capital have to find a porter and a backer.

Qin Feng had revealed before that his backer was an official named Guo from the Ministry of Revenue. Qin Yao did not ask what specific position he held, but judging from the respect Qin Feng enjoyed among these merchants, his official position must be quite high.

When Qin Feng knocked on the door in the middle of the night, Qin Yao immediately opened the door, as if she expected him to come.

"Have you been drinking?" Qin Yao suppressed her disgust and poured him a cup of tea.

The Longquan Inn has three floors and hundreds of rooms, but when they arrived, there were only a few rooms left, so Sanlang and Si Niang both slept with Qin Yao.

Qin Feng glanced at the bed and lowered his voice, "I can drink a lot, so I'm fine."

After guzzling a cup of tea she handed him, Qin Feng motioned for her to sit down as he had something to tell her.

"I will not go into the city with you tomorrow. I will come to the city to find you after I finish processing this batch of goods. This is the key to the house I bought in Yongtongfang, South City. The yard is not big, but it is big enough for your family to live in. Don't rush to refuse."

Qin Feng glanced at Qin Yao, who was about to return the key, with a bad temper. Seeing that she stopped, he continued:

"Although you and your brother-in-law didn't say it, I can see that your coming to the capital is not just to prepare for the Spring Examination. The waters in the capital are complicated. You are new here and have no one to rely on. You must be cautious and don't get involved in the affairs of the capital."

At this point, Qin Feng took out a note that he had written in advance and handed it to Qin Yao: "If you encounter difficulties and I am not here, you can take this note to Xiuwenfang Guo's family to find Minister Guo. He owes me a favor and will definitely help you."

Qin Feng seemed to be extremely worried, because he had long noticed the undercurrent between Bai He and Qin Yao at the Yunlai Inn that day.

He later checked who that person was and found out that he was the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace's man. He was so scared.

"Sister Yao, I won't ask you about other things. I just want to remind you and your brother-in-law that once you enter the city, don't get involved with the two who are fighting fiercely. Remember, don't get involved at all!"

Qin Yao looked at Qin Feng's serious face and thought to herself, Brother, it's a little late for you to tell me. I'm already involved on both sides.

Qin Yao's silence made Qin Feng's heart sink. He suddenly remembered what Liu Ji said. The Lady's Box and the Divine Power Book Box were both produced by Qin Yao's factory.

When the Lady's Box first came to the capital, the eldest princess was full of praise for it.

What does this indicate?

"Are you and the Princess' Mansion?" Qin Feng looked incredulous.

Qin Yao sighed softly, "If you do business, you can't do it without a backer." He should understand this.

Since we have to find a backer anyway, we might as well find the strongest one!

However, she appreciated Qin Feng's kindness.

Qin Yao accepted the house key and said to the dazed Qin Feng, "It's just a temporary stay. I will find a good house and move out as soon as I can after I settle down."

Seeing that Qin Feng was about to say something, Qin Yao stopped him with a sentence "Then I won't live here anymore".

"Don't worry about me, worry more about yourself. Let's go into the city first and clean the yard and wait for you."

Just in case, Qin Yao also collected the post, what if it might be useful?

Qin Feng had nothing to say. He pointed at Qin Yao from a distance, feeling so worried about her confession that he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

A princess's mansion and a crown prince's palace, two things that you should never get involved with, but she got involved with them all!

In response, Qin Yao calmly said: "High returns are accompanied by high risks. There is no such thing as a low-risk, high-return business in this world. If there is, it must be a crude scam."

What else could Qin Feng say? She had already said everything.

Then he wished her good luck!

The brother and sister separated, one stayed in Nanjiao Town to do business, and the other led his family who were looking forward to the capital, into Luocheng, which was known as the most prosperous city in the country.

We set out from Longquan Inn in the morning and arrived at the city at noon.

The prosperity of Kyoto begins with the queues entering the city.

It was the first time that Qin Yao saw in Shengguo a flow of people comparable to that of major cities in later generations.

There are eight entrances to Kyoto, and the four gates in the east, south, west and north are usually open. They entered the city from the Dingbei Gate, which is considered the main gate. The queue outside the city was so long that there was no end in sight.

There were carriages, mules, donkeys, adults, children and the elderly, and it was very crowded.

The climate here is also hotter than that in Zijing Mansion. The faces of Dalang and his four siblings were flushed red, but they could not hide their curiosity. They looked here and there while sitting in the car.

The gate of the capital city is so high that I can’t see the top even if I look up until my neck is sore.

As they entered the corridor, a gust of cool air hit Sanlang, causing him to sneeze violently, with snot bubbles coming out, which made Erlang and Si Niang laugh.

There are actually women guarding the city! Si Niang's mouth opened into an O shape.

The young ladies who rode into the city on horseback were wearing only a jacket, with both arms exposed! Dalang and Erlang were so frightened that they quickly closed their eyes and blushed.

They need to be checked when entering the city, especially those who are entering the city for the first time like them. Men and women are divided into two rows, and they are checked from head to toe. They are also checked for tattoos and inscriptions on their bodies. It is very strict.

Qin Yao said silently in her heart: This is just security check.

Wouldn’t it be troublesome if Awang had sword wounds all over his body?

However, being able to pass Nanlou Pass means there is no problem. Everyone knows why the soldiers guarding the city added another check.

When the man and woman were checking their accounts separately, Qin Yao gave Liu Ji a bag of loose change for handling.

As long as the benefits are in place and Liu Ji, a scholar, is there to guarantee Awang, the soldiers will probably not check him too carefully and that will be enough.