It's mid-October, and the rice harvest in Jiangnan has begun. There is sufficient light, heat and water, which is suitable for the growth of rice. Especially after the promotion of double-cropping rice during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, the Jiangnan area became the most important grain-producing area in the Song Dynasty.
The abundance of food greatly improved the social structure of the Song Dynasty. The habit of eating only two meals a day since the Han and Tang Dynasties gradually changed to three meals a day.
The increase in grain production also brought about population growth. By the Xuanhe period, the population of the Song Dynasty had exceeded 100 million, the highest in history.
At noon that day, a scholar riding an old horse came out of Wu County, Pingjiang Prefecture. He was wearing a plain scarf and a scholar's uniform with dark skin. He was followed by an old housekeeper and a strong young servant behind him.
Carrying a book box, he looks like a typical scholar rushing to take exams.
This scholar was none other than Zhong Huan. He took a boat from Xiangyang all the way eastward and it took him a month to arrive at Pingjiang Prefecture.
The old housekeeper and the servants were both members of the inner guard. The old housekeeper's surname was Jiang, and everyone called him Uncle Jiang. He had a sharp mind and rich experience. He was from Kunshan County, Pingjiang Prefecture. He could speak the local dialect, so it was very convenient to take him with him.
The young servant looks honest and docile, and basically doesn't talk, but he is actually the most skilled assassin among the inner guards. He is appointed deputy commander, his name is Mei Wu, and he can kill people dozens of steps away with a flying sword.
He was originally a Taoist priest in Zhongnan Mountain. He studied martial arts for more than ten years. Because his parents died tragically at the hands of Jurchen cavalry, he came down from the mountain five years ago to join the Western Army to participate in the anti-gold cause and avenge his parents. Because his martial arts skills were too high, he was absorbed by the inner guard.
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His family name was Li, and Mei Wu was his Taoist name, so he simply used his Taoist name as his name.
A group of three people entered Wuxian County. Wuxian is the seat of Pingjiang Prefecture. It is the second largest city in the south of the Yangtze River after Lin'an. It has a large population and developed commerce, even more than Lin'an. Therefore, there are two counties in Pingjiang Prefecture.
It consists of Wu County and Changzhou County.
"Mr. Zhong, go and stay at Gaosheng Inn! Businessmen like to go to their house, and they can get a lot of information."
"Can!"
Not long after, they came to the Gaosheng Inn next to the Cao River. This is an old hotel that opened during the Song Zhenzong era and has been rebuilt several times. Uncle Jiang has stayed here several times before, but he has been away from his hometown for more than ten years.
Things have changed since 2001. The shopkeeper and the waiters have changed. In this case, it usually means that the owner has changed.
"You are lucky. The shop still has the last two rooms, which are very clean and tidy. They are just for you."
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged fat man who spoke Bianliang Mandarin. He smiled and asked, "Looking at your accent, you must be from Bianliang too!"
Zhong Huan smiled and said: "In the past, I fled to Jiangnan with my family since I was a child, and I can't go back."
"Yes! I am also from Bianliang. Bianliang was completely ruined by the Jin soldiers and the Puppet Qi. My home was also occupied by people I don't know where. I can't reason with it and there is no evidence for the lawsuit, so I have to forget it."
Zhong Huan nodded and asked again: "Shopkeeper, I want to ask you something."
"you say!"
"Is there a Taibai Restaurant in Pingjiang Mansion?"
The shopkeeper thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Probably not!"
Zhong Huan felt cold in his heart and asked quickly: "Is it because the shopkeeper doesn't know it, or there isn't one!"
The shopkeeper smiled and said: "I have been here for more than ten years. The inn and restaurant are themselves integrated. I know all the slightly famous restaurants in Suzhou, except for the small tavern in the alley. I really don't know much about that kind of tavern.
."
Of course, a restaurant that can spend 120,000 yuan to buy a shop will not be a tavern. Zhong Huan had no choice but to nod, "I understand, thank you shopkeeper!"
"If you need anything, just come to me!"
The shopkeeper explained a few words and left. Uncle Jiang said with a smile: "Sir, I don't think its head office may be called Taibai Restaurant. Taibai Restaurant is specifically suitable for Jingzhao. Jiangnan may have another name."
Zhong Huan sighed, "Maybe!"
"Why don't I go out and find out? I have a cousin who runs a liquor business in the city. I'll go find him."
"Uncle Jiang, go ahead! Mei Wu and I will go out for a walk and see if we can find Changxi Trading Company."
"Okay, let's meet in the evening."
The three soldiers divided into two groups and went out separately. Zhong Huan took a folding fan and walked slowly on the street in a hurry. He was originally a Jinshi, with both civil and military skills. He pretended to be a scribe because that was his true nature, not just pretending.
Mei Wu was still following him, with an honest and dull face, without saying a word. Zhong Huan called a bullock cart and came to West Street. He only knew that the Changxi Trading Company he was looking for was located on West Street, but he didn't know where it was specifically.
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Changxi Trading House is the purchasing firm of the Western Army in the south of the Yangtze River. There are three branches in total, located in Pingjiang Prefecture, Lin'an and Yangzhou. Among them, Changxi Trading House in Pingjiang Prefecture is the largest.
When Zhong Huan came to Pingjiang Prefecture to do business, of course he wanted to find help from his own people. After all, Pingjiang Prefecture was the core jurisdiction of the imperial court and the Western Army had no influence here. The Changxi Trading Company was the only institution of the Western Army in Pingjiang Prefecture.
In fact, Zhong Huan didn't know that there was another institution in Pingjiang Prefecture related to the Western Army, which was the "Beijing News" publishing house. The "Beijing News" was finalized at night and then typed and printed.
After the final draft is completed, it will be sent overnight to Pingjiang Prefecture and Yuezhou, where it will be typeset and printed. At present, the sales volume of "Beijing News" in Pingjiang Prefecture is 10,000 copies a day. It is not that it cannot be sold, but there is no time to print more.
newspaper.
Zhong Huan walked around with his hands behind his back and finally found Changxi Trading Company. It was a two-story shop with a small facade, only one foot wide. It was inconspicuous on West Street. No one would have expected this small shop.
The trading house purchases more than 200,000 guan of supplies in Jiangnan a year, and we never expected that it would be the official organization of the Western Army. Perhaps the Western Army wanted this effect, to be low-key, hidden, and unnoticed.
"Excuse me, are you two okay?"
As soon as Zhong Huan walked into the business, a clerk came up to him with a wary look on his face. They did not welcome strange customers.
Zhong Huan smiled and said, "I'm looking for Manager Lu!"
"Manager Lu is here, may I ask who you are..."
Zhong Huan took out the inner guard silver medal and shook it. The clerk immediately recognized the inner guard's eagle-headed medal and said quickly: "Please follow me!"
Zhong Huan came to the back hall and met Lu Fan, the chief steward who was settling accounts. Lu Fan was Lu Datong's eldest son, born to a concubine, and was not well received by Lu Datong.
"Oh! What a kind of general."
Lu Fan knew Zhong Huan, so he was extremely surprised and hurriedly came to greet him.
"I was ordered to come here to investigate!" Zhong Huan said with a slight smile.
"That's it, please take a seat!"
Lu Fan warmly greeted Zhong Huan and his men to sit down, and asked the waiters to serve tea.
"When did General Zhong arrive?"
Zhong Huan took a sip of hot tea, smiled slightly and said, "I just arrived at noon today and am currently staying at the Gaosheng Inn next to Fuxue."
Lu Fan nodded, "I know where it is. In fact, General Zhong can definitely stay here. I have several guest rooms upstairs!"
Zhong Huan smiled and shook his head, "That's not necessary. It's very convenient to live there, but I'm here to check this time, so I need to ask Manager Lu for help."
"Just ask and see if I can help."
Zhong Huan clarified his thoughts and said slowly: "The Taibai Restaurant in Jingzhao spent 120,000 yuan to buy the princess's Yi'an Teahouse. It was originally a normal transaction, but a mystery arose, that is, the owner of the Taibai Restaurant
Who is he? He is now considered one of the largest businessmen in Jingzhao, but the internal guards know nothing about his background and identity. Since this transaction involves the princess, the internal guards decided to thoroughly investigate the background of Taibai Restaurant. We only know
Its head office is in Pingjiang Prefecture, but there is no Taibai Restaurant in Pingjiang Prefecture. Maybe it is called something else."
Lu Fan thought for a moment and asked, "What's the surname of their owner?"
"The last name is Liu!"
"Last name is Liu?"
Lu Fan pondered for a moment. He suddenly thought of someone and said to himself: "Could it be him?"