Chapter 36 Meanwhile, Qin Ren arrived at the shop ahead…
On the other side, when Qin Ren arrived at the shop in front, he saw a young girl looking flustered and somewhat disheveled, searching for something in the shop.
Qin Ren wanted to go up and ask her what she was looking for, but she was startled when she looked up.
It was getting dark, and the lights in the shop were dim, so seeing his face suddenly was quite frightening.
Seeing that the other party was frightened by him, Qin Ren had no choice but to silently take a big step back.
The young woman did not come alone; she was accompanied by a woman.
After being frightened by Qin Ren, she instinctively shrank behind the woman.
The woman smiled a little embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Our young lady is here to find someone. I wonder if the shopkeeper has seen a young gentleman? He is about this tall, has a refined appearance, and a mole on the corner of his mouth. He is a scholar."
Upon suddenly hearing that they were looking for someone, Qin Ren's heart tightened, assuming they were also looking for Liu Qingyue.
But after hearing the woman's description, Qin Ren knew that the person they were looking for was not Liu Qingyue at all.
Liu Qingyue's most distinctive feature is a bright red cinnabar mole on her forehead.
Qin Ren shook his head. He was in business and dealt with too many customers every day; even if he had seen them before, he couldn't possibly remember them all.
The young woman looked visibly disappointed when she saw him shake his head.
She turned to the woman beside her and said something, then left with her.
Watching them leave, Qin Ren reached out and closed the shop.
The goods for today have all been sold out, and the shop in front is now empty.
Because there wasn't much in the shop, and it had been quite humid lately, Qin Ren wanted to let it air out a bit, so he didn't lock the door right away.
He never expected that someone would come to his shop so late.
Thinking about the strange appearance of that girl just now, I wonder who this person she is looking for is.
Qin Ren locked the door, turned off the lights, and returned to the backyard.
Liu Qingyue was still nervous in the backyard, but when she heard that it was a girl looking for someone, and that the person the girl was looking for was a strange young master, Liu Qingyue was no longer so nervous.
Afterwards, Qin Ren learned some common phrases in Da Yong and even learned to write a few simple characters from Liu Qingyue. Liu Qingyue then yawned and went back through the passage.
The next day, Qin Ren returned to the modern world and retrieved all of Liu Qingyue's packages.
When picking up the package, the station manager couldn't help but say something.
"You bought too many and too varied things. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were running a small shop."
Qin Ren didn't say much after hearing this, but he felt that he needed to be more careful when buying things in the future.
The only downside is that they deliver packages to the town.
Everyone in town knew each other, including the innkeeper.
Because the other party can see what he bought, Qin Ren will be more likely to arouse suspicion if he buys too much in the future.
It seems... he still needs to make money quickly and find a way to buy a house in the county or city.
Then the packages he ordered can be delivered to the house he bought.
He doesn't know many people in the city, so deliverymen and station managers won't pay much attention to what he bought.
In addition, there are many post stations in the city, so Qin Ren can store the things he buys at different post stations, thus making his shopping less conspicuous.
Qin Ren still has nearly 800,000 in his hands.
With 800,000 yuan, you can buy a mid-to-low-end house in the city, or a slightly better one in the county.
Qin Ren had no choice but to use all his money to buy a house, which left him with a little less money.
He wanted to make money quickly, so he sold things little by little through the shop, which was actually a very slow process.
Even though Qin Ren's goods were relatively rare, and the people of the prefecture were willing to buy them, and his prices were generally high, the actual profit, after deducting the commercial taxes, wasn't much.
Having sold so many goods, I've only earned less than two hundred taels in total.
Two hundred taels of silver can be exchanged for one tael of silver, which is equivalent to thirty-one grams.
The price of silver for recycling, calculated at five yuan per gram, is only one hundred and fifty-five yuan.
Two hundred taels of silver, which is 31,000 yuan.
Thirty thousand yuan seems like a lot, but given the high cost of living and housing prices, Qin Ren would probably have to wait another year or two to earn enough money from his shop to buy a house.
Moreover, the north is still in chaos. If the south also falls into chaos later, in an environment of war and famine, the people of the prefectural city may not have enough money to buy his things.
So... Qin Ren thought about it seriously and realized he still needed to find another way to make money.
After Qin Ren returned with a carload of things, he didn't stay in the modern world for too long.
He wanted to help Liu Qingyue find out about her brother and mother, and also wanted to find out about the current situation in the north.
So as soon as he returned, he immediately went back to ancient times through the passage.
As soon as Qin Ren returned to the shop, he went out to ask the neighbors for information.
After spending some time together recently, Qin Ren, who is generous and easy to talk to, has gotten to know quite a few people.
When Qin Ren was trying to gather information from them, he first asked about the Liu family's situation.
He had his own explanation for inquiring about the Liu family.
He said to them, "The young master of the Liu family has gone missing. To be honest, I'm quite worried about him. I wonder how his family is doing now? I heard that he has an older brother and a mother. I wonder how worried they will be if they find out that he has been lost by his family."
Qin Ren had Liu Qingyue teach him these words beforehand, so he spoke them relatively smoothly.
The middle-aged man who was the first to buy something from Qin Ren's shop, the owner of the clothing store, Manager Feng, said to Qin Ren: "Because they always caused you trouble before, I deliberately kept an eye on the situation with the Liu family, for fear that they would come back to cause you trouble again."
Because they were both merchants, and he had also left his hometown alone when he was young, he felt a sense of kinship with Qin Ren. Since Qin Ren was a junior, he couldn't help but show him extra care.
"Then we actually discovered something fishy. It seems that the Liu family's relative has quite a background. A few nights ago, one of my workers saw them carrying a lot of things out of an alley."
"How can you be so sure they are relatives of the Liu family?"
“This family came to cause you trouble, and several groups of them came and went. My husband is a bit of a busybody, and he remembered what that young master’s father looked like. Even though it was dark that night, he still saw his face clearly and was absolutely certain that he didn’t mistake him. I don’t know what they were transporting.”
Qin Ren was also curious about what they were transporting.
Thinking of Minister Liu siding with the Fourth Prince, who is vying for the throne with the other princes.
Minister Liu made a special trip to Yu Yang's residence. Could it be that he was helping the Fourth Prince save up silver or grain?
"By the way, Uncle Feng, do you know what the situation is like in the north right now?"
Shopkeeper Feng: "I heard that the war in the north has been quelled and Lin Ke's army has retreated. Speaking of which, I must say that our Marquis of Zhenbei is truly remarkable."
Marquis of Zhenbei?
Seemingly sensing that he didn't know this marquis, a portly man beside him spoke up: "The Marquis of Zhenbei is a military general who followed the late emperor in his early years. Because of his outstanding military achievements and loyalty to the late emperor, he was granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei by the late emperor. Now that the north is in chaos, he has ignored the princes' struggle for the throne in the capital and has directly led his troops to guard the border."
"Now that Lin Ke's army has been defeated, he has stationed his troops at the border. It is estimated that he does not want to get involved in the struggle for the throne in the capital, or it is possible that others do not want him to return. In any case, he and his Zhenbei Army are at the border."
"And... how is things in the capital?"
"We don't know the current situation in the capital. We only know that the army started providing disaster relief a few months ago. It seems that peace should be slowly returning to the north."
Because news spread slowly in ancient times, and they were just ordinary merchants, they were unaware of many important events.
Only those from official families might know some useful information.
Qin Ren didn't get much useful information here, so he had to find another place to continue his inquiries.
He spent three days and over ten taels of silver before finally getting some useful information.
The news concerns the capital: the princes have suddenly become unruly because the reigning emperor is in poor health.
The emperor has already appointed a crown prince, who is His Highness the Crown Prince.
However, the crown prince was kind-hearted but also a bit weak-willed.
The Crown Prince's maternal clan had been suppressed by the emperor in earlier years and was no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Some princes from powerful maternal clans wanted to take advantage of the emperor's serious illness and seize the throne from the crown prince.
Unexpectedly, although the emperor was indeed seriously ill, he did not die immediately.
Taking advantage of his serious illness, he wanted to help the crown prince eliminate the other ambitious children at the last moment.
The most ruthless are those in the imperial family.
Despite the fact that His Majesty seems to dote on all the children on ordinary days.
But when it comes to succession and the crown prince he valued most, he transforms into the most ruthless person.
He personally set a trap, intending to kill all the princes who were plotting rebellion.
Unfortunately, not all of these princes were pushovers; some were killed, some fled, and some even staged a coup.
This news came two months ago.
Now that so much time has passed, things have probably changed over there.
Qin Ren felt that it wouldn't be long before he would find out who the new emperor was.
It's unclear whether it was Minister Liu who favored the fourth prince, or the old emperor himself who favored the crown prince.
Or perhaps... other princes with even more ruthless and vicious methods?
If it were the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, being a prince who plotted rebellion, would probably not have a good ending.
Similarly, the Liu family's schemes for the Fourth Prince might also lead to their own downfall.
Qin Ren returned to the shop with the news, just as Liu Qingyue came to see him and told him what she had found out.
He couldn't find out any news about Liu Qingyue's brother and mother. The lack of news meant that they hadn't arrived at Yuyang Prefecture yet.
However, considering that the border is now stable and the struggle for the throne in the capital is about to end, the north should not be as chaotic as before.
Liu Qingyue's brother and mother were accompanied by quite a few guards. As long as they were careful, nothing should happen.
After listening, Liu Qingyue suddenly became a little worried, "Do you think... the Crown Prince or any of the other princes know that my father is the Fourth Prince's man?"
Qin Ren looked helpless upon hearing this; he genuinely didn't know that.
Although he has been in ancient times for several months, he doesn't know much about this Da Yong because of the language barrier.
Also, according to the traditional Chinese social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, he was a merchant.
Most of the people he could come into contact with were merchants.
As for matters of state, the soldiers naturally knew more about them.
Qin Ren is currently in the distant South China Sea, dealing with a major event concerning the struggle for the throne within the royal family. By the time the news reaches here, the outcome should be decided.
Liu Qingyue: "I think... they all know that Father is gambling with the lives of his entire family for that so-called merit of supporting the emperor. If he succeeds, he might get a promotion. If he fails, the worst outcome is the execution of the whole family, and the lightest outcome is the exile of the entire clan. My eldest cousin usually seems quite smart, so why would he agree to do such reckless things with Father?"
"Alright, this is not something you can decide, and there's no use in worrying about it here."
"How could I not worry? It concerns my brother and mother. If my father really loses, they will suffer as well."
Liu Qingyue wasn't worried about himself. If his entire family were really executed, he had a way to get through. At worst, he could just rely on Qin Ren from now on. Anyway, Qin Ren wouldn't watch him go to his death.
But the elder brother and mother were different. The elder brother was the eldest son of the second wife, and the mother was the father's legal wife. They couldn't sever their ties even if they wanted to.
Qin Ren comforted him, "Perhaps... your father dares to support the Fourth Prince like this because they are very confident? Maybe in a few months, we'll hear that the Fourth Prince has become the emperor?"
As long as the fourth prince becomes emperor, the Liu family will not only be spared, but will also rise to prominence along with him.
Liu Qingyue also felt that his father had been smart all his life, and he was not the type to suffer a loss.
He dared to support the fourth prince's bid for the throne, so he must have been confident enough, otherwise he wouldn't have taken such a risk.
Furthermore, my eldest cousin and uncle clearly agreed as well.
Since they all made this choice, Liu Qingyue felt that they should have a certain degree of confidence.
With this in mind, Liu Qingyue felt less anxious.
Because he knew his father quite well; his father was a cunning and treacherous fox.
He is also very protective of his life and would never do anything that would risk his life.
After thinking it through, Liu Qingyue wasn't so worried anymore.
He brought a lot of things with him this time, all of which were items he had bought before.
Liu Qingyue took out the things she had brought, "Can I sell these things in your shop?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ren glanced at the things he had brought.
"Why did you sell them? Weren't these the ones you just bought?"
Liu Qingyue bought a lot of things in one go, and he wouldn't let Qin Ren return the extras.
But once he actually received the items, he discovered that there were many things he didn't need.
Thinking of the mountain of goods piled up at home, Liu Qingyue wanted to sell some of them at a low price.
He sold them at a low price and then exchanged them for silver, which he could use to buy even more things.
Qin Ren: "You can't buy anything recently. There's already a lot of stock at home. You have to wait until they're all sold before you can buy anything."
It wasn't that Qin Ren wanted to control him; it was just that his family really couldn't accommodate him anymore.
In addition, they bought too much stuff, which aroused suspicion in the town, so they had to be more careful when buying things in the future.
"I won't buy them, but can I sell these?"
"If you want to sell it, move it to the front yourself."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue looked nervous. "Me, I'll move there myself? What if, what if someone sees us?"
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you buy a wig? You can wear a wig, put on makeup, and dress as a woman. The Liu family lost a young master, but you will be a woman from now on. Even if someone sees you, no one will think much of it."
Liu Qingyue blinked, thinking that what Qin Ren said seemed to make a lot of sense.
On the surface, the Liu family lost a young master, but in reality, they lost a son.
But if he dressed up as a woman and put on a slightly heavier makeup, wouldn't no one be able to recognize him?
With this in mind, Liu Qingyue instantly became motivated.
He put down what he had brought and hurriedly returned to the modern world.
He wanted to be all modernly made up and dressed before coming over.
Seeing that Liu Qingyue was busy, Qin Ren also started to get busy.
He didn't open his shop this morning. Since it was still early, he planned to open for business in the afternoon.
Then, not long after he opened the shop, he found that a lot of government officials had come outside.
Qin Ren went out to take a look out of curiosity, and the owner of the shop next door came over to remind him: "They're here to collect taxes. This year's commercial tax needs to be collected in advance. You'd better go back and prepare."
Last year's business tax has already been paid, and now it's the first month of the following year.
Commercial taxes are usually collected in June and December. Even if taxes are collected in advance, it would be too early.
Moreover, commercial tax is collected based on six months' operating profit. Collecting it in advance... he doesn't even know how much he can earn in these six months. Will he be charged based on last year's profit?
When it arrived at Qin Ren's side, Qin Ren finally learned exactly how it had been received.
Last year's commercial tax was levied at one-thirtieth of his profits in the second half of the year.
This commercial tax isn't high, but it's not low either.
This year's commercial tax is levied at one-twentieth of the profits from the second half of last year.
Not only were the taxes collected ahead of schedule, but the commercial tax was also increased so much in one go, causing widespread complaints on the street.
After the government officials left, Qin Ren later learned that not only had commercial taxes increased this year, but other taxes had also increased.
The improvement here is not limited to Yuyang Prefecture; it is said that many surrounding areas have experienced the same.
This is not a good thing. There are too many taxes, the taxes are too heavy, and taxes are being collected in advance for no reason. If the people can't bear it, the whole country will be in chaos sooner or later.
Qin Ren suddenly lost interest in doing business, and closed the shop when he returned.
Afterwards, while doing the accounts in his room in the backyard, he also pondered other ways to make more money.
In fact, he had many more ways to make money, such as bringing crops like corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes to the Da Yong Dynasty.
There are no crops like corn, sweet potatoes, or potatoes in Da Yong.
If he could just take any one of them, he could save many ordinary people in the Dayong Dynasty.
Qin Ren originally planned to find an opportunity to provide corn seeds to the people here for free.
It wasn't that he was a particularly heroic person; it was mainly that as he gained a deeper understanding of the lives of the local people, this ordinary merchant came to understand their suffering even more.
He himself is an ordinary citizen, so of course he cares more about ordinary citizens.
However... he had a very bad impression of the royal family of Dayong.
The imposition of taxes everywhere, whether by the emperor or someone else, is hastening the dynasty's demise.
If Qin Ren were to bring the corn now, he could not only save the lives of many ordinary people, but also help the dynasty prolong its existence.
Qin Ren felt that now was not a good time, and he should be patient and wait a little longer.
Before Qin Ren could think any further, Liu Qingyue, with a very glamorous makeup and a flashy outfit, came over again.
When Qin Ren looked up, he was almost blinded by the light.
He subconsciously closed his eyes, and then heard Liu Qingyue ask, "How do I look? Do I look like a woman?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ren opened his eyes and looked over, then stood up and removed the glowing objects from his head and wrists.
Liu Qingyue wore a headband that glowed and a pair of colorful plastic bracelets on her wrists.
He bought all these things himself, and I don't know why he thinks they look good.
Qin Ren: "I used to doubt whether you were a woman, but now it seems... you really aren't a woman."
Liu Qingyue realized he was making fun of her, and immediately frowned, a little unhappy.
"But... I think these are quite pretty."
"Stop it, the shop is closed today."
"It's okay if we don't open for business. Do you think I look good like this?"
Liu Qingyue was completely immersed in her art, and even lifted her skirt and twirled in front of Qin Ren.
Qin Ren looked away from his face, blinked uncomfortably, and then said to Liu Qingyue, "It's quite...unique."
"Really? I think it's quite unique. If I dress like this, they definitely won't recognize me."
Qin Ren muttered to himself that the Liu family would not only fail to recognize him, but would also treat him like a monster and beat him up.
Qin Ren reached out and pushed Liu Qingyue into the passage, asking as he pushed her forward, "Where did you learn this makeup style?"
Liu Qingyue said, "I learned it from short videos on my tablet."
He is not very literate, but with today's advanced technology, many searches can be conducted using voice input instead of typing.
He was quite clever, so he used voice search to find a lot of makeup guides.
At first, Liu Qingyue couldn't accept it either, because the people in the short videos had such exaggerated makeup.
But after learning from him for a while, he somehow gained confidence.
Qin Ren: "Don't follow their example in the future. You are an ancient person, so your makeup should be done in the ancient style."
Liu Qingyue: "But... I really want to go out into the modern world and see the sights."
He thought the outside world must be very interesting, so he wanted to learn modern makeup techniques and go out as a modern woman.
Now Liu Qingyue knows that in modern times... which is Qin Ren's hometown, there are only two genders: men and women.
Liu Qingyue has a delicate and beautiful appearance. In modern times, he would have to cut his hair to dress as a man, but he was reluctant to do so, so he had no choice but to dress as a woman.
Liu Qingyue told Qin Ren her thoughts, and after listening, Qin Ren said to her, "We modern women don't have your kind of...unique aesthetic. We pursue freedom and comfort more. You don't need to dress yourself up like that."
Qin Ren really wanted to say that modern women's aesthetic sense is not as bad as Liu Qingyue's, but he was also afraid that Liu Qingyue's ability to withstand pressure was not good, and that she would put on a show of bursting into tears on the spot.
Qin Ren could only try to be tactful, hoping that Liu Qingyue would understand that his attire was strange.
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