Chapter 35 Secret Thoughts
Zhu Yuhuan and Han Guilan walked back with a pile of furs. Han Guilan thought of Mrs. Huang's half-worn clothes. She must have tried her best to find the most respectable clothes in the family to sell. She said with some emotion, "That Mrs. Huang just now is really capable. She can manage the household affairs by herself."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "She speaks clearly and is well-dressed. She must be the pillar of the family."
Han Guilan nodded in agreement. "But I always feel like Miss Huang is looking at the cloth in our hands. I wonder if she wants to exchange some for it too."
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by her and said, "She doesn't want to change, I think she wants it. Otherwise, why would she ask where we live?"
Han Guilan recalled Mrs. Huang's expression and asked curiously, "Yes? Why?"
"The civilian market happens once a month. This cloth is valuable to the Wuliangha. It can be exchanged for a lot of furs and ginseng, which can then be resold elsewhere." Zhu Yuhuan pondered for a moment and said, "However, there are procedures for passing through various checkpoints and cities, and women are not allowed to travel freely. I believe she has handed it over to the local merchants, who will take a cut of the profits."
Han Guilan understood and said, "It's just like a peddler, selling things from street to street, all bought from other people's homes."
Han Guilan was originally a daughter of a wealthy family in Korea. She never left her home, only knitting at home, and had little knowledge of the outside world. If she had not been forced to come to the Ming Dynasty and stay with Zhu Yuhuan, Han Guilan would probably have remained almost completely ignorant of the outside world.
"Yes, that's what Shen Guangci is like. He can also find other 'peddlers' to sell things for him."
"I see……"
Before the two men reached the donkey cart, they saw from afar a number of people dressed in Uriankhai clothes surrounding Huai En. They hurried forward and saw that there was already a pile of things in front of Huai En, with very little cloth left. Xu Gong hurriedly pretended to be nothing and approached Zhu Yuhuan to avoid any accidents.
Huai En took a break from his busy schedule and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhu Yuhuan and Han Guilan finally returned. The three of them looked at each other, almost laughing out loud, and hurriedly told everyone to pack up. It took a while before they packed up the things they had exchanged and took them back with them.
After entering the house, Han Guilan took advantage of the daylight to count and sort the furs one by one. She couldn't help but sigh, "This cloth is really popular. One box can actually be exchanged for two boxes of furs, and a small box of ginseng and mushrooms."
Zhu Yuhuan recalled the scene he had witnessed at the official market and said, "The silk and satin we exchanged for horses were probably used by the nobles. For the common people of Wuliangha, these cloths were used to mend clothes. If we could exchange more for them, we could make some warm clothes for our children at home, so that we could have a more comfortable winter."
"Your Highness is right."
Zhu Yuhuan asked Huai En to pick up a few pieces from the box and said, "These pieces can be used to make a hood or something for Xu Gong's children to keep them warm. Also, give one piece to each of the people who will be responsible for the security in Minshi today."
Zhu Yuhuan now had a lot of inventory and was generous with his spending. He only picked out the best ones to take back to his concubines, and gave the rest directly to his subordinates, so that it was not a wasted trip.
"yes."
Xu Gong received the reward and, as the leader, came to thank Zhu Yuhuan. He seemed relieved and said, "I was startled when those Tartars surrounded me today. It turns out they wanted to exchange for cloth... Your Highness, you can't go there again. They chattered for a long time and I couldn't understand them. If anyone has ulterior motives..."
Zhu Yuhuan patiently listened to Xu Gong's long speech. When he finally stopped talking due to dry mouth, he asked Huai En to pass him a cup of tea. Then he smiled and said, "Are you tired of talking?"
Xu Gong took the teacup and smiled awkwardly, saying, "As long as His Highness can listen to it..."
Zhu Yuhuan cleared his throat and said, "I'll go again tomorrow."
Xu Gong was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Your Highness, do you still have any cloth?"
Since the main purpose of going north this time was to escort cloth for the official market, Zhu Yuhuan did not intend to make money from the civilian market, so he only brought a box of cloth with him privately, and he had exchanged all of it in one day.
Xu Gong was counting them on the side, thinking that His Highness had finally changed all the cloths, so he could finally rest assured, right?
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "There is not much cloth left, I am going to look for someone."
Xu Gong was now even more confused and asked in bewilderment, "Your Highness, please forgive my stupidity. What kind of person is your Highness worried about that you would go all the way to see him?"
Zhu Yuhuan half-jokingly said, "I just happened to meet her today. I was in such a hurry to leave that I forgot to ask her where she was from. So I have to go again tomorrow to see if she's still there."
No matter how troubled Xu Gong was, he couldn't go against the princess's wishes, so he said, "I understand. However, I still need to remind the local officials about this matter. I will go now."
Zhu Yuhuan comforted him, "Thank you for your help. I'll send you something else when I get back."
Xu Gong quickly declined: "Your Highness is too polite. This is my duty."
Thinking of Yu Ying and Wu Ning who once held multiple positions, he was really afraid of his own prince's tactic of "giving a slap in the face and then a sweet date". If he accepted anything again, he would probably be "doomed" again.
Seeing him running out of the house like he was escaping, Zhu Yuhuan shook his head helplessly and said, "You're already a father, but you don't know how to calm down."
Han Guilan couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard her deliberately pretentious sigh.
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