At the city gate, there were two long queues, one for the caravan entering the city, and the other for ordinary people.
There is a fee to enter the city, two cents per person for ordinary people, but the price for caravans is random, depending on the mood of the guards.
Finally it was Mu Wanqing and his group's turn. The guard stopped them and said, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Take out your pass."
Shen Yong was prepared. He took out a pass and handed it over. "I am from the Jiangnan Guo family's caravan. I am here to do business."
The guard's eyes fell on the long line and boxes, and a trace of greed flashed in his eyes. "What did you bring?"
"Just tea and cloth." Shen Yong acted very low-key.
These are all good stuff. The guard waved his hand and said, "Open the box and check."
The man behaved particularly rudely during the inspection and the goods were rummaged through. Shen Yong frowned slightly but did not get angry. Instead, he handed over a piece of silver. The guard weighed the silver and looked unhappy.
Is this too little?
Shen Yong cursed in his heart, calling him a guard dog, but he hadn't entered the city yet and didn't want to fall out with the guards.
This is someone else's territory. You cannot cause trouble unless it is absolutely necessary.
They are seeking wealth!
He stuffed two more pieces of silver into the guard's pocket and he said, "Be gentle."
The other guards became much more restrained. Mu Wanqing saw it all and started to think about it.
The curtain was lifted, and Mu Wanqing immediately opened her eyes wide, looking timid and frightened.
The guard looked at Mu Wanqing for a few times. He had red lips, white teeth, delicate eyebrows and eyes. He was wearing a plain brocade suit, looking like an ordinary wealthy young master.
"Who is this?"
Shen Yong smiled and said, "My brother, I brought him out to see the world. It's better to learn how to do business early."
"Hello, sir." Mu Wanqing greeted in a low voice, very shy.
The guard had seen all kinds of people, so he didn't attract his attention. He just took out a sign and handed it to Shen Yong, "This is a sign for merchants. You can only enter the market with this. Also, your team will stay at Yuelai Inn."
It was the first time Shen Yong heard that the gatekeeper would solicit customers. This was strange. "There is only one inn in the city?"
The guard glared at him unhappily and said, "Just go if I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense? Do you still want to go into the city?"
"Come in, come in." Shen Yong made up his mind to go in first.
The guard called one of his men and said, "Xiao Liuzi, take them to Yuelai Inn."
Xiao Liuzi agreed happily, as if there was some great news.
Shen Yong was a little panicked, "Young... Master, why do I feel like something is wrong?"
Mu Wanqing also felt that it was a bit strange, "Go and talk to that little Liuzi and find out what's going on."
"Okay." Shen Yong immediately walked to Xiao Liuzi and skillfully asked questions. Xiao Liuzi was a straightforward person and inadvertently told him everything he knew.
After a while, Shen Yong came back with a complicated look on his face. "It is said that Yuelai Inn is owned by the Ji family, and the head of the Ji family is the commander of Ganzhou Guard. If it is true, the Ji family's hand is a bit too long, but is it possible?"
The Du Commandery was headed by the Du family, which had jurisdiction over sixteen guard commanders, and below them were the thousand-household commanders and hundred-household commanders.
For example, the Command Headquarters is the group commander, and the commanders of each guard are the army commanders.
Generally speaking, every family has its own business, but he feels it is unrealistic to misuse public resources for personal gain.
Mu Zicheng's brother, who was in the crowd, came over and said, "Sister, how about we not live here and find a place of our own?"
This time, Mu Wanqing brought her two brothers with her. Mu Zicheng has matured a lot after these days of experience. He is very familiar with the people in the caravan and can help.
As for Mu Ziang, he was just brought here to see the world.
Mu Wanqing frowned slightly, "This is the Ji family's territory, there are many spies, let's not act rashly, let's see what happens first."
Their goal is to make a fortune quietly, not to make enemies everywhere.
"That's fine."
Ganzhou City is large but dilapidated. The blue brick road is bumpy and uneven. Both sides of the road are lined with short and dilapidated houses, one next to the other. The mossy walls tell of its long history.
After walking for a while, the view became wider and the buildings became better and better. It became a busy commercial street.
Passing the intersection, Mu Wanqing looked out. On the left were all inns, and on the right... Baihua Tower, Wanhua Pavilion? What the hell was that? A street of brothels?
The group stopped at the door of Yuelai Inn. Yuelai Inn was well decorated, antique and exquisite.
The waiter came up to greet him enthusiastically, "Xiao Liuzi, why are you bringing people here?"
Xiao Liuzi pointed at Shen Yong and his group and said, "Little Second Brother, Angkor asked me to bring it here."
The waiter glanced at it calmly, then nodded with a smile, "Okay, I understand, you can go back now."
He quickly welcomed the group in, saying non-stop, "Sir, there are more than a dozen inns in Ganzhou City, and our Yuelai Inn is the best in Ganzhou City. The food, wine, and guest rooms are all first-class. Now is the largest annual trade fair, and merchants from all over the country are rushing here. Our inn is full..."
First, raise your own value and brag about your good business.
Shen Yong stopped and turned to leave, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go now."
The waiter was stunned. He hadn't even finished his words yet. How could this guest be so straightforward? "No, no, no, I mean, the hotel is full, but we have reserved the two best courtyards for the most distinguished guests."
Shen Yong looked at the waiter with a strange look, as if to say, you are dishonest. "Then I want a yard."
The waiter almost flipped out and didn't dare to talk any more. "You have so much goods, you can store them in our warehouse. It's safe and reliable. You may not know that this is the inn opened by the commander of the guards. No matter what happens, we can help solve it."
"No need." Shen Yong flatly refused. Only a fool would deliver the goods to someone else's warehouse.
"Sir..." The waiter wanted to try harder.
Mu Wanqing, who was following behind, cleared her throat and said, "I want to take a hot bath and go make arrangements."
Her tone left no room for doubt, so the waiter didn't dare to say anything more, "Yes."
The yard is very large, with a towering tree planted in the middle. Its leaves have all fallen off, leaving the yard bare.
There are three main rooms, one for Mu Wanqing, one for the Mu brothers and Shen Yong, and the main hall is used to entertain guests.
The men crowded into the west wing, half of the goods were put into the east wing, and the other half was not unloaded and was left in the yard.
The room is equipped with a fire wall, so it is very warm inside. The pearwood furniture is warm and elegant, and it also comes with a bathroom.
In the steaming hot water, Mu Wanqing waved away the maid, took a hot bath, and felt relaxed.
This inn was renovated at great expense, with great care put into every detail, and it was specially designed for wealthy businessmen to stay in.
She walked to the main hall, where everyone was sitting to discuss things.
Seeing her come in, everyone stood up. Mu Ziang pulled her to sit down, and Mu Zicheng brought her a bowl of milk, "Sister, there is goat milk. Try it, I just heated it up."
"Provided by the inn?" Mu Wanqing took a sip and frowned slightly. The smell was too strong.
"Cooking almonds for a while can remove the smell."
Mu Zicheng didn't mind the smell, but his sister was delicate and picky, so he took the goat milk to the small red stove in the corner to process it.
Mu Ziang's mind was not here. "Sister, the waiter looked at us as if he saw a gold nugget. I feel uneasy."
Mu Wanqing naturally saw it too, and tapped the table with her right hand. "How about this, everyone will be divided into two shifts, taking turns to guard the gate, and the goods must be kept safe."
"OK."
"Send someone out to inquire. Only by knowing both ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle."
"OK."
Mu Zicheng brought the processed goat milk to Mu Wanqing, "Okay, how about trying it?"
Mu Wanqing took a sip and her eyes narrowed with joy. "It doesn't have any smell anymore. It tastes great. Thank you, big brother. You are really capable."
Her sweet smile made Mu Zicheng's heart blossom with praise. He thought his sister had really good taste.
Mu Ziang was jealous and ran to Mu Wanqing, "Sister, I am also very capable. I have completed everything you asked me to do."
Mu Zicheng rolled his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at such a childish brother.
Mu Wanqing was amused, "Yes, yes, they can do it."
She stood up and said, "Let's go to the lobby to eat."
The lobby was full of people and there was constant noise.
The waiter took them to the second floor and said, "I'm so sorry, the private rooms are all full. I'd like to ask you to be patient and sit outside."
The second floor is also a hall, and the third floor is the box area.
Mu Wanqing sat by the window. The windows were tightly closed and the light in the room was dim, so the big red lanterns were lit early, and the atmosphere was quite good.
“What’s your signature dish?”
The waiter looked proud, "Roasted whole lamb, lamb soup, lamb pie."
Mu Wanqing lost her appetite after hearing this, "No vegetables?"
I was so busy on the road that I didn't have a good meal.
"Look at what you said. Where can we get vegetables in the middle of winter?" the waiter asked curiously.
"Let's have a whole roasted lamb." Mu Wanqing ordered a few dishes at random, not afraid of waste as there were plenty of people to eat.
She didn't touch anything else but ate a little of the roasted whole lamb. She had to say that the roasted whole lamb was cooked to perfect perfection, with a golden color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
But without the dipping sauce, it always feels like something is missing.
The others devoured the food ravenously.
When they were almost done eating, a few people came up the stairs. The fat man in the lead was wearing gold and silver and a glittering outfit.
When these people arrived, the guests who were chatting and laughing shut up and looked serious.
As soon as the fat man came up, he looked around. The waiter pointed at Mu Wanqing's table by the window and came over with his people.
"Are you new here today?"
Shen Yong was stunned for a moment, "Yes."
The fat man slammed the table and shouted angrily, "Newcomers, you should pay the protection fee."
Wow, protection money! Mu Wanqing sat up straight, her eyes brightening.
Here it comes, the show is about to begin.
Shen Yong didn't expect that after all this time, the collusion between insiders and outsiders was just to extort money. It seemed that he had been treated as a fat sheep since the moment he entered the city.
"Excuse me, what is protection money? Why do you charge it? Who charges it? Who are you?"
The fat man laughed and said, "You are staying at the Ji family's Yuelai Inn and are protected by the Ji family. You should pay protection fees. This is only natural."
This logic is ridiculous. They are clearly robbing money, but they still put on a perfect mask for themselves.
"Is this what the Ji family wants? Will everyone pay?" Shen Yong really couldn't believe that the Ji family dared to rob money so righteously. After all, they were officials.
The fat man said confidently, "Of course, when you arrive at the Ji family's territory, you have to follow the Ji family's arrangements. We won't charge you more. We charge you 200 taels per truck. You have 51 trucks, so 10,200 taels."
Damn it, the lion asked for too much, and he asked not to charge more? Everyone wanted to curse.
Shen Yong couldn't stand it any longer, "Are you the young master of the Ji family?"
The fat man frowned slightly, "Although I am not, I am more respectable than the young master of the Ji family."
After Shen Yong heard this, he pondered for a while and suddenly exclaimed, "Excuse me, it turns out that you are the son of the commander-in-chief, Mr. Du. Please forgive me for not recognizing you. I apologize for this."
He bowed respectfully, and the whole audience fell silent. The fat man was also stunned.
Mu Wanqing spoke coldly. "That's not right. Why would the son of a commander-in-chief collect protection fees for the Ji family? This is unreasonable. He is the superior. Besides, the Du family is full of loyal and brave people. They will never do such a shameful thing."
She clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling, "Ah, I see, you impersonated Mr. Du, deliberately ruined his reputation, slandered the Du family, and wanted to bring down the loyal Du family. You are a spy! I will report you!"
She just casually put a few big accusations on me, each one more serious than the last.
The fat man was stunned and subconsciously retorted, "I didn't, you're talking nonsense, it's you..."
Shen Yong interrupted him calmly, "This happened right under the Ji family's nose. Does the Ji family know about it? Or are they pretending not to know?"
Mu Wanqing asked innocently, "Why are you pretending not to know?"
"Maybe, maybe not?" Shen Yongxue spoke like Mu Wanqing, with his own despicable tone, which really asked for a beating.
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