Junyangfang is located on the branch of Qinling Mountains.
After more than a year of development, a modern large-scale cargo trading and transshipment center has been formed here.
If you only look at the degree of economic prosperity, Junyangfang has obviously surpassed any city in the Tang Dynasty.
Because the daily cargo throughput of Junyangfang was too large, during Yang Fan's expedition, Wu Meiniang expanded the road from Gyeonggi Province's official road to Junyangfang to a width of more than ten meters, and even hardened it with cement.
Therefore, even on a snowy day, there is an endless stream of merchants coming and going to Junyangfang to purchase goods.
Although it was already three o'clock in the morning and it was getting late, there were still two caravans rushing on the road from Junyangfang.
The caravans who often come to buy goods are familiar with each other. When the caravans meet, they will inevitably chat for a while.
Looking at the endless carriages parked on the road, there must be at least hundreds of them, blocking more than half of the wide road. The middle-aged man who caught up from behind said hello:
"Hey, Shopkeeper Zhou, it's really rare that you actually come here to purchase goods this time. I heard that you have made a lot of money this year. Don't be too tired. You just took a break halfway through. It seems that the goods purchased this time are not bad.
Too little!"
Shopkeeper Zhou, who was directing the caravan to rest on the roadside, looked up and said with a smile:
"It turns out to be Lao Fang. Who did I think he was? He was talking about me. Didn't you come here in person?"
"But what you said is indeed true. It got cold early this year, and the sales of briquettes are very good. It has started to snow again recently, and some are in short supply."
"What about you? Have you tried Tegong Longjing tea today?"
Hearing what Shopkeeper Zhou said, the man named Fang smiled proudly: "Of course I got in, otherwise I wouldn't have come out of Junyangfang so late."
The two of them are not business rivals, so they have no scruples about chatting.
Master Zhou's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently: "Well, we are in a good mood. We have almost finished drinking the tea at home. Please leave me a pound of Tegong Longjing tea and I will come to pick it up in person tomorrow."
The man surnamed Fang held back his mouth and said somewhat sourly: "It seems that shopkeeper Zhou has really made a fortune. He only drank medium-sized Longjing tea before, but now he drinks Tegong Longjing tea. It seems that he has made a lot of money this year."
"But you have a good idea. After waiting for two days in Junyangfang, I finally got three kilograms of Tegong Longjing tea. If you ask for one kilogram by yourself, wouldn't it be a loss of my reputation?
?”
"I also plan to use Tegong Longjing tea to attract customers? But since you often take care of my business, Lao Zhou, then come over tomorrow and get three taels!"
After saying that, the man named Fang pulled the corner of his mouth in pain.
Longjing tea is divided into four grades: Tegong, top grade, medium grade, and low grade.
The best is of course Tegong Longjing tea. It is said that Junyangfang only produces about 200 kilograms of Tegong Longjing tea a year.
Excluding Junyangfang's own personal retention and tribute to the imperial palace, what can be sold is only about a hundred kilograms.
Therefore, for Tegong Longjing tea, Junyangfang’s monthly external sales are fixed.
And only the tea shops we initially cooperated with were able to purchase goods sporadically from Junyangfang.
Therefore, the man surnamed Fang was able to purchase three kilograms of Tegong Longjing tea, which was enough for him to be proud of.
Nowadays, the tea in Junyangfang is in full swing, and it has become like a spark that can start a prairie fire. The clear natural tea fragrance is so popular among literati and poets that they can't put it down.
All nobles in the Tang Dynasty were proud to drink Tegong Longjing tea.
Because it not only represents wealth, but also represents status.
Of course shopkeeper Zhou also knows the preciousness of Tegong Longjing tea. As one of the first businessmen to cooperate with Junyangfang, of course he has a thorough understanding of the principle of asking for high prices and paying back the money.
Indeed, as the man surnamed Fang said, selling him three taels of special tribute Longjing tea was already taking special care of him.
So Shopkeeper Zhou patted his chest and said with tears in his eyes: "Old Fang, I have remembered your kindness. If you are of any use to me in the future, just ask."
The man surnamed Fang didn't show any pretense and said directly: "Old Zhou, don't tell me, we don't have much briquettes at home. You can come over tomorrow and pull a cart for me. It's been extremely cold these days, and there are a lot of pits in the house.
They all need to be used, and the cost is a bit high.”
"But to be honest, Marquis Zhongyi is really talented. He was able to design such a warm pit and briquettes. It is really a blessing to the people. No matter how cold the weather is, the people of the Tang Dynasty will never freeze to death again. This is a big deal.
Merit."
Shopkeeper Zhou also felt the same way and said with emotion: "Yes, if it weren't for Marquis Zhongyi, I don't know how many people would freeze to death every year!"
"Look, although these briquettes are sold by me as an agent, the price is the unified price set by Junyangfang."
"A family of four can buy enough briquettes for the winter at a cost of just a few dozen cents. It's so convenient."
"These briquettes can not only keep warm, but can also be used for cooking rice and cooking. More importantly, they are cheap. Marquis Zhongyi is like a god descending to earth to save all sentient beings."
The man named Fang nodded vigorously: "Yes, if it weren't for Marquis Zhongyi, I wouldn't even be able to marry a wife!"
"Since I cooperated with Junyangfang to sell tea, I not only married a daughter-in-law, but also made friends with many dignitaries. How could I have dared to think about it before? All of this was brought by Zhongyihou, and he is my reborn parent.
.”
Shopkeeper Zhou smiled slightly and said: "Yes, it's not just us. When mentioning Marquis Zhongyi, no one in the Tang Dynasty would not give a thumbs up and praise him. It's a pity that our status is low and we have no chance to meet Marquis Zhongyi."
The man surnamed Fang looked around carefully and said softly: "Old Zhou, you don't have to worry about this. A few days ago, an official from the imperial court came to buy tea. He said that Tubo has been pacified, and Marquis Zhongyi will be on duty soon.
When we return to the court, we can go to Zhuque Street to welcome the Tang army and have a glimpse of the style of Marquis Zhongyi."
"Really? That's great!" Shopkeeper Zhou was overjoyed and nodded quickly.
After saying that, the two men looked at each other and smiled, showing respect and yearning from the bottom of their hearts. They were blocked in the middle of the road without realizing it.
At this moment, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from a distance.
Looking up into the distance, I saw a group of people and horses galloping towards me like a black torrent. The snow on the road was splashed by the horses' hooves, creating waves of snow mist.
This surprised the two of them. At this time, there were very few people heading towards Junyangfang, let alone a lot of people!
Soon, this group of men and horses rushed more than ten feet away from them, immediately frightening them.
Because this group of people wore helmets and armor, even their faces were covered, so they couldn't see their faces clearly, but the murderous aura emanating from their bodies showed how powerful these people were.
Just when they thought they would be trampled to death by the horse, they saw the leader let out a cry, and the horse under him stopped steadily. Dozens of galloping horses behind him also stopped immediately. Their excellent riding skills were simply amazing.
Breathtaking.
You know it’s snowing now!
Just as shopkeeper Zhou and the man named Fang were congratulating themselves on saving their lives, a sonorous and powerful voice came:
"Xiaojie, why did you stop?"
If you listen carefully, you can hear some weakness in it.
"Master Marquis, there is a caravan blocking the road ahead, and we almost hit a passerby." The leader quickly turned back to report.
Shopkeeper Zhou and the man surnamed Fang looked at it thoughtfully and were immediately shocked.
The person who had just asked the question was now soaked in blood, and there were several arrows stuck in his back. Although the arrow feathers were cut off, it was even more terrifying. He was so seriously injured, and he dared to ride his horse quickly. It was not so painful as to death.
.
However, this person's face was not covered. Yingwu's face looked a little pale due to excessive blood loss. A pair of tiger eyes looked at them with gleaming eyes. A calm and self-presence came towards them, making the two of them dare not breathe.
.
The two of them were about to apologize, but they saw the injured man riding his horse forward. He cupped his hands and said, "I rode forward because I had something to do. I scared you two. Please forgive me!"
Shopkeeper Zhou was so frightened that he trembled with fear and quickly apologized: "How dare you accept the general's courtesy? We blocked the way. Please forgive me, general."
The injured man looked around, his eyes stopped at the carriage that Shopkeeper Zhou was riding in, he waved his hand and said:
"It doesn't matter, but we still have wounded people. Would you like to commandeer my husband's carriage?"
Shopkeeper Zhou didn't dare to refuse, so he quickly asked his servants to free up his car.
Only then did they realize that there was a wounded man behind him whose thigh was penetrated by an arrow.
This man had obviously passed out and was tied behind his back with linen by a burly sergeant.
After the unconscious young man was carried onto the carriage, the injured general said: "Thank you, my father-in-law, for your help. I can use this order to go to Junyangfang to ask for compensation."
With that said, he threw a jade plaque in his hand directly towards Shopkeeper Zhou. Before Shopkeeper Zhou could refuse, the group of people rushed towards Junyangfang in a hurry.
In just a few breaths, the group of people disappeared at the end of the road.
If it weren't for the blood-stained jade plaque in their hands, Shopkeeper Zhou and the man named Fang would have thought they were dreaming!
Shopkeeper Zhou picked up the token and took a look. One side was engraved with exquisite patterns and the other side was engraved with the words loyalty and righteousness.
Judging from the material of the jade pendant, this piece of jade is worth at least several hundred pounds.
Shopkeeper Zhou stared blankly for a while, then turned to look at the man named Fang and asked, "Old Fang, who are these people?"
"Maybe it's our Tang Dynasty's army!" The man named Fang withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself.
Then he exclaimed: "Well, that's not right," "How did the person who took the lead call the person just now? Lord Marquis? Then isn't this person the Marquis of Zhongyi?"
"A few months ago, I once saw the guards of the Marquis's Mansion from a distance. They were protecting the Marquis's wife at that time. The guards were dressed like this."
Shopkeeper Zhou was shocked: "What did you say? That person just now was Marquis Zhongyi?"
"Zhongyi was seriously injured just now. If there is a shortcoming in our obstruction, wouldn't this old man become a sinner for the ages?"
As he said that, he slapped his face directly, causing a red mark on his face.
The man surnamed Fang took Shopkeeper Zhou's hand and sighed: "I am too blind to see Mount Tai, but Marquis Zhongyi is so kind to the people. We blocked the way and actually apologized to us. He really deserves the name of loyalty and benevolence."
, Old Zhou, you are really lucky, why don’t you commandeer my carriage?”
Shopkeeper Zhou also had a guilty look on his face: "Yes, I'm really embarrassed. Just now we were really thinking about meeting Marquis Zhongyi, but now we meet but we don't know each other. We are really stupid!"
"However, it is truly a blessing for me that Marquis Zhongyi can commandeer my carriage!"
As they said that, the two of them looked in the direction of Junyangfang.
Although nothing can be seen, one can imagine the heroic appearance of Marquis Zhongyi from the rumble of horse hooves!