I have lived forever since the end of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 286 Heading to Miyagi
The dusk fell heavily on Chang'an City.

The shadows of the trees stretched long on the ground, covering the potholes on the ground.

Another peaceful night is coming.

As the curfew approached, apart from a few vendors who were doing good business and closed their stalls late, there were only a few tourists wandering around in the market.

"Why haven't you guys gone to the west of the city to visit today?" At the stall, an old man with a beard longer than his neck was counting his belongings and chatting with acquaintances in the adjacent stalls. "I'm old and my legs are weak. You guys Why not join in the fun.”

Seven or eight steps south of the old man, there is a stall selling dry goods. The stall owner is a strong man.

He replied angrily: "Old Li, don't say that your legs and feet are not flexible. Last time I saw you carrying two bundles of firewood on your shoulders, you could walk faster than the carriages on the street.

If you say you are old, then what will happen to us? "

Directly opposite the old man's stall is a mom-and-pop shop.

At this time, the husband was stringing the copper coins with straw ropes, putting them into the package, and hiding them close to his body. The wife also moved very neatly, packing all the goods to be taken away from the stall in an orderly manner.

They heard the old man talking to each other, and the woman was still busy with her own affairs. The man took the time to reply: "Uncle Li, I wanted to watch the fun, but Awei wouldn't let me.

She said that it was rare for so many people to come to the market like today. After a hard day's work, she could take two or three more days off this month.

Hey, business is really good, and the goods sold are worth the same as in the previous three or four days. "

Looking at the man who was smiling happily, the woman reluctantly tugged at the corner of his clothes and whispered: "If you don't reveal your wealth, don't say anything to others."

"Okay, okay." The man touched his nose, knowing that he was showing off and bragging again.

"Marry a virtuous wife. My old lady is like this too. You have a good life." The old man looked at the young couple cheerfully, feeling a little emotional in his heart.

"That's right." After hearing this, the man grinned widely.

While several people were chatting easily, a small group of people walked in at the entrance of the market, but this did not attract their attention.

Often at this point in time, the people who come to buy goods are basically unreliable. Most of them want to pick up missing items, so they will lower the goods to extremely ridiculous prices.

The goods sold at these stalls can be stored overnight or even for ten days, so there is no rush to sell them in the evening. You can wait until tomorrow to sell them at the same price.

The group of people who did not attract their attention stopped at a corner not far away and whispered after entering the market.

Not long after, a slender middle-aged man took the lead and walked towards the three stalls.

After looking around among the three stalls, he walked towards the old man and asked, "May I ask, my father-in-law, how much is a load of firewood here?"

"Two and a half." The old man looked at the man in front of him and then lowered his head without interest.

The fabric of this man's clothes looked expensive, and it was clean. He didn't have any servants around him, so it would be weird to know how to buy firewood, so he casually quoted a price to deal with it.

"I dare to ask my husband, can it be cheaper?" The middle-aged man pursed his lips and asked.

The old man raised his head in confusion and said, "You seem to be a nobleman. I am just an ordinary hawker. I think my firewood is already cheap in the market. If you want it, it will cost you two and a half cents." A bundle is already a very low price.”

"That's it." The middle-aged man didn't say much, nodded awkwardly, and then left on his own.

The old man had expected this and knew that this would be the result, so he lowered his head and continued to pack his things.

"Old man, do you want to sell this bundle of firewood for a penny?"

After a while, a quiet voice came from above the old man's head.

The old man didn't even raise his head and replied angrily: "I only sell the best firewood for at least two cents a bundle."

"Old man, it's almost night. You must live outside the city. It's not convenient to walk with big bundles of firewood on your back. Why don't you make a convenient trip and sell it to me for a penny a bundle." The man said in a tone of voice. Changes, but the words can't help but convince people.

The old man raised his head.

The material of the clothes of the man standing in front of him was similar to that of the middle-aged man who had just left, but the feeling he gave him was completely different.

The person in front of him is like a vast ocean, unfathomable, especially those eyes, which are extremely peaceful, and the slightly raised corners of his mouth make people feel close to him.

The old man took a deep breath and said: "One penny is still too low. I will take it back and sell it tomorrow morning. I can sell it for two pennies. If you are considerate of me, just take the penny and a half."

"One and a half penny." The man shook his head, "One penny, no more."

Seeing that the old man was still hesitating, he turned around and left.

Seeing this, the old man became anxious and shouted: "Two and a half cents, you can come and get two bundles, I will make small profits but quick turnover, what do you think?"

The man turned his head slightly, but did not turn around and left directly.

The old man scratched his head and felt a little incredible.

Why did I inexplicably give in so much?
The old man judged that the man who had just left was probably the most difficult opponent to deal with in his career. In a short period of time, he actually reduced his price to the limit.

Fortunately, the other party did not agree. Otherwise, this failure would have made me regret it before I was buried.

He lowered his head with some emotion and finished sorting out the few remaining things. Just as he was about to leave, another deep voice came from behind, with a bit of a southern accent.

"Old man, how do you sell this firewood?"

"Two and a half coins..." The old man turned around impatiently. The "strong opponent" just now made him a little upset. Plus, he wanted to go home in a hurry, so his tone was naturally not that good.

But as soon as he turned around, he found that the sunset in the distance was completely blocked by the man in front of him, leaving nothing behind.

I'm afraid it's seven or eight feet tall, right?

Taking a breath of cold air, the old man squeezed out the last few words: "...two bundles."

"Two cents and a half for two bundles? Can it be cheaper?" The iron-tower-like man in front of him raised his boulder-like fist, which frightened the old man and took a step back, but he just rubbed his chin.

But faced with such an oppressive question, the old man replied tremblingly: "Then, one penny and one bundle? If you are happy, I can give you a bundle."

If you really make the other party unhappy, I'm afraid I can't even bear a slap from the other party, right?
Even if acquaintances from two stalls nearby came to help, they would probably not be a match for this person. Therefore, the old man had the idea of ​​​​"spending money to eliminate disasters."

"One penny per bundle, right?" The sturdy man raised the corner of his mouth, turned around and left. After a long time, the old man recovered and whispered with lingering fear, "This man is too tall. I'm afraid it's not that King Xiang." That’s it.”

The sturdy man turned into another street, and the two people who had asked the old man about the price of firewood were standing there facing each other.

Seeing him coming, the two of them looked a little more nervous.

Chen Luo was the first to ask: "Brother Yu, what price did the old man tell you?"

"He said one penny and one bundle. If I want it, you can give me a bundle." Xiang Yu gave the answer. "How is that possible?" Han Xin looked shocked on his face. When he passed by, someone sold him a bundle for two and a half cents, and he didn't even pay back the price.

Chen Luo went to use his words to bargain and lowered the price to two and a half cents per bundle, which should be close to the limit.

Why are people even willing to give Xiang Yu away for free?
Chen Luo also looked a little surprised.

According to his inference, two people in front of him went to inquire about the price, but then turned around and left. The old man was in a hurry to go home, so he must be very impatient. How could he give such a low price?

It's really puzzling.

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, but could not come up with an answer. Until he raised his head, he found that Xiang Yu had blocked almost all the light that should have shone on him, and he suddenly realized.

I have a lot of contact with Xiang Yu on weekdays, and I am 1.8 meters tall. After I got used to it, I didn't feel oppressed by the other person's eight-foot height.

But to the old man who was about six feet tall, Xiang Yu was definitely a giant, with his thick arms and strong muscles.

In the eyes of others, the affectionate and dignified King Chu has become the image of a "dark and evil force".

But looking at the results alone, Xiang Yu was indeed the one who got the lowest price out of the three times they asked for prices.

Chen Luo sighed and said, "You win."

Han Xin on the side shrugged and said: "Anyway, I've been out for a long time. I'll admit defeat."

After the court celebration, they did not return home immediately. Several old friends gathered together and walked around Chang'an City to chat. When passing by this market, they suddenly had the idea to compare their "eloquence".

After discussing for a while, they decided that the content of the competition was "Whoever can get the same quantity of goods at a lower price from the same merchant will win."

This competition may be a little naive for those children in their prime years, but for them prime ministers, generals, and kings of Chu, it is just right.

So the scene above happened.

"Then do as you said before." Xiang Yu laughed. The pleasure of beating an old friend in a bet was no less than winning a crucial battle.

Chen Luo responded: "Okay, okay, next time at the banquet, I will provide the drinks, Brother Han will provide the venue and arrange the meals, and you will provide someone to come and eat."

"That's right." Xiang Yu smiled even more happily when he heard that the final result was confirmed. He was better than Jiang Ning in terms of "eloquence". After returning to Chu State, he could brag about it at banquets for at least a year and a half.

When he was about to leave, Chen Luo ordered the attendant beside him: "Take the copper coins and buy all the firewood the old man has left today. Anyway, the chef in the house needs firewood.

By the way, buy it at two cents a bundle, don't get ripped off like someone did. "

They went over to ask the old man about the price of firewood one after another, which probably caused some trouble to the other party, especially Xiang Yu, and may even have left a psychological shadow on the old man.

Asking his attendants to buy the other party's firewood was a small compensation.

But after hearing this, Han Xin shouted from the side: "Jiang Ning, who do you mean by this?"

Chen Luo tilted his head and said innocently: "Ah? Did I tell anyone?"

"Are you saying that I'm 'taking my seat'?" Han Xin recalled Chen Luo's words of pretending to be stupid.

Chen Luo, who was just about to come up with this line, coughed twice and said, "I didn't name him, I didn't say anything. If I think wrongly, it's really someone's own fault."

He and Xiang Yu looked at each other, with a smile on their faces and chuckled. Han Xin turned his head, but was infected by the laughter.

For a time, the streets of Chang'an in the evening were filled with the cheerful smiles of middle-aged people.

The three people's figures stretched very long on the ground.

After half an hour.

Chen Luo returned to his mansion under the starlight and the last ray of sunset.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Liu Le coming to greet him.

"A Le, there is a banquet today. Didn't you say you don't have to wait for me to come back to eat together?" Chen Luo sounded a little surprised. He usually comes back late due to delays in business. Liu Le would indeed wait in the front hall, but today he I've told you before that you don't need to wait for him to come with you, just eat with Azhi and Aru first.

Liu Le shook his head and said, "My dear, this is not the case. Someone from the palace came from the palace a quarter of an hour ago and called us to go immediately."

"Huh?" After hearing this, Chen Luo put away his relaxed and comfortable expression, thought for a moment, and asked solemnly, "Did the messenger say something? Was it His Majesty's will or the Queen's?"

"It belongs to my father. But I don't know what the specific matter is." Liu Le pursed his lips and replied, "My dear, I feel a little uneasy. Did something happen?"

"Don't think too much." Chen Luo patted her shoulder to express comfort, but he only had more doubts than Liu Le.

It was getting late now, but a decree came from the palace, calling them to go immediately.

This has never happened.

Whatever happens in the palace, they should be asked to go over as soon as possible tomorrow morning.

What's more, after such a grand court celebration, Chen Luo felt quite exhausted, not to mention Liu Bang, who was already in his twilight years.

It seemed even more strange to summon them into the palace at this time.

What's more, Lu Pheasant or Liu Ying want to see Liu Le, so there is no need for them to "go immediately" together.

Without a clue, thinking too much will only make your thinking more confusing.

So he smiled and asked: "Ale, do you have anything else to prepare before setting off?"

"It's already been packed up." Liu Le responded simply. Since it was not an informal occasion, she didn't need to clean up too much.

Chen Luo nodded and said: "In that case, let's enter the palace immediately. When we get to the palace, you will know if you have anything to do with us, so you don't have to think about it anymore."

"Okay." Holding Chen Luo's hand, Liu Le suppressed his inner uneasiness and stepped onto the carriage together.

As the carriage slowly drove towards Miyagi, Chen Luo discovered that there was also a carriage driving in front of them.

During the curfew period, carriages should not have appeared on the streets, and the other party's destination seemed to be Miyagi.

Chen Luo narrowed his eyes and asked aloud: "Azhang, can you tell whose carriage the carriage in front belongs to?"

The driver, Zhang, observed for a while and said, "It should be from the residence of Marquis Qu Ni."

The charioteers in Chang'an City are quite familiar with each other, and they are extremely clear about the shapes, decorations, and symbols on the carriages of various princes. This is their "professional knowledge."

"Chen Ping's carriage." After getting the answer, Chen Luo rubbed his chin in confusion and thought to himself, "What is he doing in Miyagi City now?"

(End of this chapter)