Daily life of slaying demons in the government

Chapter 319 City Exploration
Once you enter the city, the streets inside the city are nothing compared to those in Jizhou Prefecture City, and they can't even be compared to ordinary cities like Sandao City. They are just slightly better than ordinary towns, but not much.

The stone slabs on the ground were broken and there were dents of varying depths everywhere. Some were caused by wheel wheels, while others must have broken over the years.

Even the main road after entering the city is like this. It can be seen that no one comes to repair it on weekdays.

The vendors on the street mainly sell food, and there are basically no big shops. There are some small wood carving shops, and the shopkeepers inside are sitting on stools bored.

Yang Qian walked into a wood carving shop. There was no clerk inside, only the shopkeeper. Seeing Yang Qian coming in, he was very enthusiastic and talked endlessly about how the craftsmanship of these wood carvings came from old craftsmen, and that the materials were all the best peach trees.

Yang Qian selected several wood carvings, including a roc spreading its wings, a rabbit eating grass, and a pen holder in the shape of a peach forest.

"how much is the total?"

"You have good taste. I'll charge you a total of forty silver coins. It's definitely the lowest price in Taocheng." The shopkeeper rubbed his hands, his eyes flashing with alertness and nervousness, ready to meet Yang Qian's counter-offer.

Juan did not interrupt. In his opinion, the peach wood carvings Yang Qian bought were good and well-made, especially the pen holder, which was definitely worth the price.

Yang Qian really didn't bargain, he took out the silver and put it on the counter. He immediately said: "The craftsmanship is very good, the products are good, these would probably be much more expensive if they were sold in other places. Why do you seem to have so little business here?"

The shopkeeper hadn't met such a straightforward customer for a long time. Seeing that the customer wanted to chat, he didn't refuse. Anyway, the business of this shop has never been good. If he can sell one or two pieces a day, it is considered good business. So he is not busy and has time to chat with people about other things.

"Sir, is this your first time in Taocheng? To be honest, in my grandfather's generation, the peach wood carvings in Taocheng were very popular. Just as you said, if they were shipped to other places, the price could be multiplied several times, so they were not difficult to sell. My ancestors made a living from this business.

"Alas, the world is not peaceful anymore. Business is getting harder and harder. Now even the best products cannot be exported. It's so miserable!"

“Why can’t you get out?”

"There are too many bandits and evil spirits on the road. If you carry goods by yourself, they will probably disappear thirty or fifty miles away from the city. There are few carriages and horses, and the price of goods is very high. You have to bear the risks yourself. If you are lucky, you can make a little money. If you are unlucky, you will lose everything.

So now many people who have been in this business for many years have changed their careers. I have no choice, my family needs to eat, and I don’t have any other skills, so I can only run this shop to make a living.”

"Change career? What's the most profitable business here?"

"Of course it's meat. Hey, sir, you look like a well-traveled person. Now that you've come to Shuangqing Prefecture, you must know the ins and outs of this."

Yang Qian didn't waste any words. He took out a silver note, ten taels, and put it on the counter. He smiled and said, "Tell me about it. I'll buy it for you."

Ten taels of silver is a lot of money. Although the shopkeeper had never encountered such a thing, he had definitely heard of it. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately put the silver on the counter into his sleeves, his movements smooth and flowing.

"Sir, Taocheng is special. In the past, people lived off the mountains and rivers, and it is still the same now. The peach forest outside the city is deserted, but Taocheng is in a good location. How many people inside and outside the city can be fed with the meat money every year?"

"Meat money? Those exiled prisoners?"

"Hehe, sir, you really do know. But let me say one more thing. Although this business is very lucrative, it is also very selective. Not only is it difficult to get in, it is also dangerous. Ordinary people can only watch and listen, and have no ability to get involved."

With just this one sentence, Yang Qian smiled and nodded. He could feel that the shopkeeper had good intentions and there was a hint of reminder in his words.

So Yang Qian asked again: "It's okay, I'm just asking out of curiosity. By the way, where can I get more information about this meat money business?"

"This..." The shopkeeper's eyes rolled around, and Yang Qian smiled and put another ten-liang silver note on the counter.

“Sir, if you are curious about this business, you can go to the South Tower in the south of the city. There is a restaurant over there, and there is a gambling den downstairs. It is also the place with the most information. If you want to know anything, just go there if you have money.

But there are many thieves there, and those with knives in the South Building may not be taken care of. If you go there, be careful not to get hit by a club.

Another place to go is the Hualou in the east of the city. It is said that the Baihualou in it is also a place for news. It is more stable than the South Tower, but it may cost more.

Hey, sir, I just heard it from others. You have to decide for yourself whether to take it seriously or not. Let me make it clear first, I won’t take any of this money.”

Yang Qian waved his hand, packed up his things and left the store.

As soon as they reached the gate, the inner guards who had entered the city one after another followed the marks left by Juan along the way and came over. There were not many, a total of five people. The rest would disperse in Taocheng and secretly explore the strangeness of this city.

"Sir, someone is targeting us." As soon as Juan came out, he felt something was wrong. He turned his head and looked around, and he had an idea in his mind.

"It's okay, let them keep an eye on us. Tell our people to follow these little mice and see which side is watching us."

"Yes, sir!" Juan immediately took out the talisman and began to arrange it.

Yang Qian walked towards the east of the city.

"Deputy Servant Hu, have you ever been to the brothel?"

"Don't worry, sir. Although Juan is a cripple, he still has these insights. There is no need to be shy about it. But I don't understand why you don't go to the south of the city?"

"Haha, Deputy Hu, there's no need to go to the south of the city that the shopkeeper mentioned. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was a dark alley, where strangers are very taboo. In the past, it took a lot of effort to get information.

It would be better to go to the Flower Tower first, and if there is no harvest, then go to the South Tower."

"But sir, it's only noon now, the brothel isn't open yet, right?"

"Isn't that perfect? ​​We're going to gather information, not drink and play with girls. Do we have to squeeze in time with a bunch of night owls?"

After hearing this, Hu An stopped talking. But he still had some instinctive resistance to going to the brothel to get information, and it was not as indifferent as he said. After all, he was the deputy servant in the palace, not a perfect person, and it was natural for him to feel uncomfortable going to a place like a brothel.

Of course, business was more important. Although he felt uncomfortable, Juan did not act pretentiously. He followed Yang Qian all the way to the east of the city and saw the so-called Baihua Tower.

Along the way, Yang Qian found that compared to the shabby and dilapidated other places in Taocheng, Hualou was relatively clean. The buildings were not big, but the facades were well decorated. Especially Baihualou, except that it was not as tall as the one in Jizhou Prefecture, everything else seemed to be similar.

But as soon as they arrived at the door, Yang Qian and others frowned slightly.

This taste is wrong!

(End of this chapter)