Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 333: Guangling Trip

In fact, Ren Yuan also knew that Chen Shuai was just being polite to him.

After being in the Gou Chen Division for so long, if he still thought that Chen Qianzhi was simply a white lotus who loved his soldiers like his own sons, then he was too naive.

Beneath Chen Qingzhi's gentle and elegant appearance, he has a heart that is decisive and as hard as iron. How could he have a soft heart?

"But is it appropriate for me to lead the team alone for such a big thing?" Ren Yuan asked after receiving the order.

"What do you mean you lead the team? Don't you think I'm going to go?" Chen Qingzhi laughed and scolded, "Although I'm only singing the second half."

"But what Yuan said is true. He is too inexperienced. It is inevitable that he will not be able to control the situation if he is sent to lead such an important mission." Seeing this, the Fifth Dimension smiled and said, "Why don't I lead the team?"

"You can't leave the capital, otherwise there will be no one in charge of the Gou Chen Division." Chen Qingzhi shook his head and smiled, "Back then, when Diwu Wei was the leader of the building, he had already led the team to handle cases everywhere."

As he said this, he looked at Ren Yuan deeply and encouraged him, "You are already the deputy guard leader now, you should be able to take charge of things on your own."

"Besides, although you are famous, you have little experience. Sending you to Guangling will help avoid alerting the enemy." Chen Qingzhi did not allow any discussion and said, "It is decided. Pack up and lead all the brothers to set off."

"Take them all?" Ren Yuan was surprised. "Is it such a big deal?"

"Just leave one or two teams to look after the house, and take the rest with you. We must seize every opportunity to train the team." Chen Qingzhi nodded without questioning, "Besides, you are going to Guangling as an imperial envoy, and you bring too few people. People will not take you seriously."

"I understand." Ren Yuan nodded and said no more nonsense.

~~
After returning to Chongguang Tower, Ren Yuan gave the task to the senior sister, who was naturally very happy. She had been bored in Beijing for a long time, so it was good to be able to go out and relax.

Chen Baxian was also very excited. He was eager to make achievements so that he could become the leader of the group as soon as possible. Only Yang Zhong's face was a little tense.

"Why, you can't bear to leave your wife?" Chen Baxian couldn't help but laugh: "Fortunately you are going to Guangling, not Guangzhou, otherwise you would be looking for death."

"I didn't say anything." Yang Zhong said angrily, "Don't try to slander my innocence out of thin air."

"If you don't want to go, then forget it. We have to leave two teams to look after the house. How about you take Team A and Team D and stay here?" Ren Yuan said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Third brother, don't listen to the nonsense of my eldest brother. How could I be the kind of person who would fuss over things?" Yang Zhong said with a bitter smile, "I am just worried that if we go to Guangling, we will be slaughtered by others, right?"

"It's possible." Ren Yuan said seriously, "So don't force it."

"Then I have to go with my brothers." Yang Zhong said decisively, and then said a little embarrassedly: "Just give me half a day off."

"Haha, is there anything else to say?" Ren Yuan laughed and gave Yang Zhong a day off, asking him to go back and say goodbye to Lu Kutao assiduously.

~~
The next day, all the members of Chongguang Chuang boarded two official ships, flying the imperial commissioner's flag and the apricot-yellow unicorn flag of the Gouchen Division. They entered the Yangtze River from Xuanwu Lake, and then sailed down the Yangtze River, slowly heading towards Guangling.

Ren Yuan and his brothers changed into casual clothes, dressed up as traveling merchants, and went to Guangling first to scout the area.

Guangling was later known as Yangzhou. Although it did not have the extravagant and decadent life of the Tang Dynasty when people could "have a fortune of one hundred thousand taels and ride a crane to Yangzhou", its advantageous geographical location determined that this place would not be too bad as long as it was not hit by war.

In any case, under the rule of Xiao Yan, the hinterland of Daliang had not seen war for more than 20 years, people's livelihood had greatly recovered, and there was a scene of vitality everywhere, with all things flourishing.

As expected, as soon as the boat entered the dock, the bustling scene came into everyone's eyes. The pier was crowded with flat-headed grain boats, and countless civilians were carrying bamboo poles in pairs, with hemp rope nets hanging from the poles, holding bags of grain, and transferring them from the warehouse to the grain boats.

That was the tax grain shipped from all over Jiangnan, which was transported here and concentrated, and then distributed to the troops at the front by the court. It is said that such a transit point for grain transport must be a commercial center. Ren Yuan and others looked around and saw all kinds of shops lined up one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see along the river bank.

But the strange thing is that in broad daylight, not a single store was open, all the doors were shut. And there was not even a single stall on the street...

Ren Yuan saw a fishing boat parked nearby. A white-haired old fisherman was skillfully collecting a dozen live fish of different sizes.

"Old man, was this fish just caught?" Chen Baxian started talking to the old man.

"Ah." The old fisherman nodded and touched the fish's gills with the blade of his knife. "I cast the nets early in the morning! Look at the bright red gills."

"Well, it's really good. I haven't eaten fresh fish for a long time." Chen Baxian followed the routine and went shopping first, then asked questions.

"How much? I'll give you the whole deal at a lower price."

"Not for sale." The father-in-law quickly shook his head.

"Can you eat so many fish?" Chen Baxian asked with a smile.

"We're not selling it now," the old fisherman said. "If you want to eat it, wait three days and buy it at the market."

"Won't it become a rotten fish in three days? I'll buy it no matter how much it costs, even if it's a little expensive." Chen Baxian said with a generous heart.

“I won’t sell it no matter how much money you offer.” The old fisherman shook his head.

"Hey, you old man." Chen Baxian said speechlessly, "Why don't you sell it now at a high price? Why do you have to wait until it becomes rotten fish in three days?"

"Young man, are you from out of town?" The old fisherman glanced at him and said, "This is the rule of Guangling City. When outsiders come, they have to follow the local customs."

"What kind of rule is this?" Chen Baxian asked curiously.

"The government has stipulated that ordinary people are not allowed to engage in business." The old man pointed to the closed shops on the street with his chin: "Look, they are all closed."

"When was the regulation made? Then how did this store come about?" Ren Yuanda asked.

"Of course it was opened before there was such a regulation." The father-in-law sighed, "Last year, the county suddenly issued this ban, and then it developed to prohibiting street vendors. In the end, even ordinary people were not allowed to exchange eggs for fish or rice for millet."

Then he said to Chen Baxian: "If you want to eat fish, I will give you two, but I dare not accept money."

"What are you afraid of?" Chen Baxian asked in confusion, "If you accept it, then accept it. Can I still sue you?"

"That's hard to say." The old fisherman smiled bitterly and said, "The government also stipulates that those who report the transaction can get half of the property of both parties. I don't want to sell a fish and have to sacrifice half of the boat."

"What kind of rule is this?" Ren Yuan and others were speechless.

"Be content. At the beginning, trading was absolutely not allowed. But later, when everyone couldn't make ends meet, the government showed some mercy and allowed a market to be opened every ten days, so that everyone could trade and buy oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc." The old fisherman sighed and said:
"For people like us who fish and farm, it's still okay, but those who make a living by trading can't make ends meet now."

He pointed to a middle-aged man carrying a large bag and said, "Look, that's the boss who bought my fish. This is the only thing he can do now."

(End of this chapter)