Jiapingguan Chronicle

Shen Cha silently checked the timeline in his mind and calculated the possibility of Liang Jieque and Boss Luan meeting, but found that there was no chance of the two meeting.

Thinking of this, she relaxed slightly and shook her head gently towards Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian who were looking over.

"Are you sure?" Shen Haolin glanced at Liang Jieque who was telling Mei Lin what to say, and asked in a low voice, "Is it completely impossible?"

"Well, there is absolutely no possibility." Shen Cha also took a look and lowered his voice to explain to Shen Haolin, "Aunt Liang is about sixty years old this year, and the person named Luan is in her fifties. There is a difference of at least ten years. In terms of age, they are This is no longer possible. And judging by the time, when Aunt Liang went to Wubi City, the person named Luan should have been in his teens. It was the time when they were discussing the marriage, and it was about the time when they had a dispute with Uncle Ning. .”

"You're right, it's true. If we calculate them by age, they are quite far apart." Shen Haolin looked at Shen Cha and chuckled, "Look, Jiu'er has glared at me several times, with resentment in his face. Come."

"I'll go back later and leave him alone for a while. His resentment is just that he lost my arm as a pillow for him to doze off on." Shen Cha touched his chin, thought for a while, and said, "Although it's It is certain that there is no intersection, and there is no possibility of any intersection, but I still want to ask about the definite situation of Ubi City at that time to see if there can be some connection with what happened later."

"Yeah!" Shen Haolin nodded, "We can see what the situation was like in Ubi City before."

"Okay." With Shen Haolin's agreement, Shen Cha smiled at Liang Jieque, who looked over with curiosity, and asked, "Aunt Liang, I want to ask you something."

"what's up?"

"It's about Ubi City. When you were in Ubi City, have you ever heard a rumor about the city lord's youngest daughter and her fiancé, or something related to the city lord's family?"

"The city lord's youngest daughter and her fiancée?" Liang Jieque recalled it carefully and shook her head slightly, "I haven't heard of it, but we know a little about the city lord's family."

"Oh?" Shen Cha's eyes lit up, "What is it?"

"This city lord has no airs. He always likes to take his family to the market and go wherever the excitement is. He has a high enthusiasm for doing business, but because he is the city lord, he cannot mix with the merchants. They are in this group, so he can only enjoy watching them. However, I saw them a few times when I was in Ubi City."

"how do you feel?"

"I feel like this family has a pretty good character and is kind to people. They are nothing like the city lord and his family. When they go out, they don't have the kind of swarming in front of them. They are just brought along by the whole family. The ostentation of the two or three followers is not as grand as that of the merchants in the city. If someone hadn't introduced them to us as the city lord, we would have thought they were just ordinary rich gentry!"

"This is pretty much what I know."

"Really?" Liang Jieque chuckled, "As for the little daughter you just mentioned, I have a pretty good impression of her. She is a teenage girl who is very beautiful and has a well-behaved personality. My fiancé I have never heard of my son-in-law or anything like that, and I don’t like to ask about it.”

"I heard she looks a lot like her deceased mother."

"Well, I've heard about this too. She is indeed good-looking. Compared to her brother and sister, she looks like a beauty at first glance. The local people said that she is the most like the deceased city lord's wife, no matter what They are very similar in appearance and personality. It's a pity that the city lord's wife left early and there is no chance to see her again. This child is very well-behaved. Unlike others of the same age, he likes to run around. The second brother said that he is not like those in the Western Regions. A relatively enthusiastic child, she would pounce on strangers when she saw someone, and would stand obediently next to the city lord. When she saw others smiling at her, she would also smile and wave. Perhaps because she is the youngest child in the family, the city lord is still the most enthusiastic child. She is very worried about her and is with her all the time. Her brothers and sisters are also very caring about her. It can be seen that their relationship is still very good." She looked at Shen Cha, "Why do you suddenly ask about her? Do you know each other? of?"

"I don't know. I just heard it from one of our friends. Someone we know has also been to Ubi City. We wanted to see if it was around the same time as Aunt Liang. Now it seems that Aunt Liang was earlier."

Shen Cha waved his hand gently, glanced at Shen Haolin, and then at Xue Ruitian. The three of them exchanged a knowing look. From this, it can be seen that the Qinglian Sect should have started to lay out Ubi City very early. It is estimated that They took advantage of the opportunity to meet with the Shen and Liang families to explore the reality of Ubi City and whether it was suitable for their development.

"It turns out that the general also has friends who have been to Ubi City for business, right? That place is the most suitable for merchants. As long as they can go there smoothly and use it back smoothly, they can make a lot of money. But we in Daxia Many businessmen are unwilling to go that way."

"It's not that I don't want to go. The main reason is that the journey is far away and the unknown risks are high." Jin Jing nodded, "It's better for Aunt Liang to live in the south. You can walk part of the waterway. They all took the land route and brought so much." If something unexpected happened to the goods, it would mean losing both people and money, so it is understandable that you are unwilling to take risks. In fact, as long as you make up your mind, several merchants join forces, go on one or two trips, and get familiar with it, This trade route can be opened up, but not many people are willing to take the risk."

"This gentleman is right, that's what happened." Liang Jieque nodded slightly, "Actually, this is a good business, but we don't want to be threatened by Hu Shang anymore, so we have to give it up. If it weren’t for this reason, we would have continued doing it for a long time.”

"It's true. The person we know is also a businessman. He also went to Ubi City to open up a new road, and he did very well there." Shen Cha smiled, "There are other things. One question, after you arrived in Ubi City, did you find a place to live by yourself, or did the Hu merchant who asked you to meet find a place for you?"

"Of course we arranged it ourselves. They asked us if they wanted to help us find a place, but we refused. After all, we didn't dare to live in the place they found. We rented a small courtyard in Ubi City because I didn’t know how long I would live there, and I didn’t know how long I would have to deal with those people, so I just rented it for a month.” Liang Jieque smiled, “I have to say, the rent in Ubi City is really cheap, compared to Starting from our Daxia, it can be said that there is no money."

"Because they are not short of money, renting out the house is just to make the family lively." "That's right!" Liang Jieque nodded, "We were quite happy to see that the place written in the letter was Ubi City, so We have prepared a lot of goods. Of course, there is no salt, but tea and silk are still available. In addition to these, we also prepared some porcelain that can be used daily, such as tableware, tea sets and so on. We sell dry goods ourselves. , and brought a lot of useful information that people from the Western Regions can accept."

"Then there's a lot of preparation."

"Yes, after all, we are going to Ubi City. This is a rare opportunity, so naturally we need to be fully prepared. Originally we wanted to prepare something else, but we found that there were too many things to bring. Our own Several ships simply couldn't fit it in, so we had to give up with regret. But even so, our profit from that trip was very considerable."

"Is it so special?" Shen Zhonghe looked at Liang Jieque and said in shock, "I don't even know, no one has ever told me."

"What are you telling me for?" Liang Jieque waved his hand, "I'm just telling you that I'm playing the piano to a bully, and you don't care about that."

"Aunt Liang, please don't be angry with Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen has lofty ambitions and wants to defend the country. As an elder, you should feel very happy." Xue Ruitian quickly jumped out to smooth things over, "You..."

"It's not that I'm unhappy, it's just..." Liang Jieque sighed softly, "Let's talk about this later!"

Shen Haolin and Shen Cha looked at each other. They both understood to some extent why Liang Jieque had always opposed Shen Zhonghe's joining the army.

"Actually, I have to say that no matter how much goods you bring, they will all be wiped out." Xue Ruitian felt that the air pressure in the tent was a bit low, so he quickly went back to make up for it, "For people from the Western Regions, what are the things from the Central Plains? They are all good, especially tea, salt, silk, and porcelain. They are all very sought after. Of course, if you don’t have these, it’s okay. As long as they are from the Central Plains, they like them all, so there is no need to worry about bringing them. The goods cannot be sold.”

"What the Marquis said is correct, that's what happened, but why they like these things, we don't understand either."

"Whatever you want is what you like. They don't have it anywhere. Don't you like it?"

"Yes, it is indeed like this." Liang Jieque nodded and continued, "We packed up all our things and chose a sunny day to set off. This day was also considered a good one. We all I’m used to walking on the sea, so I’m not afraid of wind and waves, but I’m still willing to do some calculations before leaving just to have peace of mind.”

"Has it been a smooth journey?"

"Yes, the journey was very smooth. I didn't encounter any robbers or storms on the sea. I arrived at the sea area closest to Ubi City smoothly and took the land route from Hailu. This is the sea route. , it was five days earlier than we expected, and then we took the land route, which was also very smooth, and no unexpected accidents happened, which made everyone very happy." Liang Jieque smiled, "Even more fortunately, we also met many caravans who were also going to Ubi City along the way. Many of them had been there many times. Knowing that it was our first time to go, they enthusiastically pulled us along. , It will be very safe if you say this. Those horse bandits who rob the road will not touch the caravan with many people."

"Horse bandits?"

"What your friend said is wrong, Lord Marquis!" Liang Jieque waved his hand and explained, "The rules in Ubi City are very strict, but it's not that you are not allowed to rob merchants, it is that you are not allowed to fight in Ubi City, and you are not allowed to maliciously raise prices. , you are not allowed to pick quarrels and cause trouble. Once you violate these rules, you will receive very severe punishment. If it is a fight between local residents, they will be beaten in public by the city lord in the street. If I remember correctly, it should be fifty battles. , and then you are not allowed to do business or trade within three years. If you commit the crime again, the punishment will be forever. If you are a foreign merchant, you will be permanently refused entry and there will be no second chance."

"It's really strict."

"Yes, it is necessary to maintain a good order in the city and no one is allowed to destroy it. If both parties want to fight, it is okay. They can fight outside the city at an agreed time. If you are injured or killed, you will be responsible for the consequences. The city lord is not responsible. "

"So that's how it is." Xue Ruitian nodded, "So, there are also robbers outside the city?"

"Yes." Liang Jieque nodded, "But they usually rob caravans with a relatively small number of people, with one or two large cars. Therefore, when they encounter other caravans on the road, they usually go together. The purpose of walking together is to give the robbers a deterrent. There are many of us, and your small number of people can't touch us."

"Wait a minute, Aunt Liang, I have a question." Shen Zhonghe raised his hand, looked at Aunt Liang, and then at the other people, "Don't you think it's strange? Aren't they very rich there? Why are there still people there? Robbery?"

"Because life is boring and I want to find some fun and excitement!" Liang Jieque sighed helplessly and said, "They don't need to think about silver and gold at all. From the moment they were born, they have They have a lot of money, so their lives are very boring. Robbery and fighting are just like doing business, which is a way for them to adjust their lives."

"This..." Shen Zhonghe looked disgusted, "Their behavior is just because they are full, right?"

"Yes, they behave like this because they are full. After all, they don't have to worry about food and clothing. They just have to find some fun for themselves every day. Otherwise, this day will be quite difficult." Liang Jieque said gently. He sighed and said, "Although they are robbers, they don't steal anything when they rob. They just scare people. They frighten the merchants who come here for the first time until they turn pale. They are very happy and then run away laughing. When the next group of merchants arrive, they will come out and scare people. Occasionally, when they see some rare things, they will rob them, throw down a piece of gold and run away. They will definitely not let the merchants suffer."