If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Li Tiancheng and his family all took a close look at the 600-pound fish and exclaimed in amazement. One of the young princes even declared on the spot that he wanted to catch the fish himself and present it to his father.

Zhou Wu had already begun dissecting the fish on the cutting board. A huge fish head was chopped off first, followed by the dissection of the back and belly. Amidst the astonished expressions of the crowd, Zhou Wu served the dish—yes, just a plate of uncooked fish, simply arranged on a plate.

"How dare you, Zhou Wu, deceive the emperor!"

Si Dezi's forehead was dripping with sweat. "You little rascal, you've got some nerve!"

"Your Majesty, this method of eating fish is called sashimi, and only the best fish deserve to be eaten this way."

The earliest record of eating raw fish in China dates back to the Zhou Dynasty, specifically 823 BC. 12

(Sashimi, also known as raw fish slices, please don't make any irrelevant comments.)

Li Tiancheng listened to Zhou Wu's vivid description without suspicion. He picked up a piece, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth. The pink fish melted in his mouth, leaving only the aroma of oil and a hint of sweetness.

"Okay~~~~"

Li Tiancheng couldn't help but shout "Good!" The other members of the royal family, seeing that even the emperor had eaten and said it was good, also picked up their chopsticks.

Today's lunch received unanimous praise from all members of the royal family, who were very satisfied. In fact, Zhou Wu's efforts were partly driven by ulterior motives. People in this era currently only know about sea fish; they are completely ignorant of other seafood such as shrimp, crabs, octopuses, and shellfish. Zhou Wu wanted to use the royal family to promote his seafood products. Clearly, the royal family was very pleased and believed that the effects would soon be noticeable.

Zhou Wu not only successfully completed his mission, but also received verbal praise from Li Tiancheng. When Li Tiancheng left with the royal family, Crown Prince Li Junren even came over to exchange a few words with Zhou Wu.

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"Sir, it will probably be tomorrow afternoon before all the goods are unloaded."

After lunch, the royal family returned home, and Zhou Wu went to the dock again to check on the progress.

"Alright, let everyone take turns resting. It's not easy to come all this way to the capital, so let's go sightseeing. Just remember not to cause any trouble."

During this time, Zhou Wu also planned to visit the capital city. The capital of the Great Dragon Empire has a permanent population of about one million. It is said to be the largest and most prosperous city in the world at this time, and Zhou Wu naturally wanted to see it for himself.

"Damn, the capital city is indeed the capital. These city walls, wow, these city gates, wow."

Zhou Wu was like a country bumpkin visiting the city, curious about everything.

The guards at the city gate did not collect any poll tax, nor did they happen to make things difficult for Zhou Wu.

"It seems that novel plots really only exist in novels."

Before entering the city, Zhou Wu had already inquired about the two most bustling places in the capital: the East Market and the West Market.

The East Market mainly consists of high-end restaurants, brothels, and pleasure boats—places for wealthy people to dine. As for the West Market, it's where ordinary people set up stalls or where people from other ethnic groups conduct large-scale transactions. Zhou Wu prefers the West Market.

"Hello sir, could you please tell me how to get to the West Market?"

"West Market? Of course, it's located west of the capital."

Well, what the other party said makes a lot of sense, and Zhou Wu had no words to refute it.

"How long will it take Lao Zhang to get to the West Market?"

"That depends on how you plan to get there. If you walk, it will probably take an hour. If you take a carriage, it will take about fifteen minutes."

In the capital, riding horses is prohibited except in military situations. This is the rule. When entering the city, there is a notice board at the city gate that clearly states some of the capital's regulations, such as not being allowed to ride horses except in military situations, as well as the curfew hours, etc.

"carriage?"

When Zhou Wu came, he hadn't considered the transportation issue at all. In the past, he would either drive himself or take a taxi when he went out. This was awkward, as it would take an hour to walk, which was not only a waste of time, but more importantly, by the time he got there, he wouldn't have the energy to go shopping.

That's where you ride in a carriage.

The old man seemed to realize that Zhou Wu was from out of town and knew nothing about the capital, so he kindly pointed out the place to take the carriage.

"A train station? Fuck, there's actually a train station."

A simple pavilion was filled with ordinary people, a staff member was standing next to the pavilion, and several horse-drawn carriages were parked behind it.

As Zhou Wu approached, he saw that there was still a notice board with the operating rules for the carriages. In short, there were two types: public carriages with fixed stops, costing five coins per person, and chartered carriages, which charged according to the distance traveled.

"Hello, I'd like to charter a car."

Zhou Wu wasn't unwilling to share a horse-drawn carriage with others; he simply preferred to hire a carriage, as it was more efficient.

"Where are you, sir?"

The staff were polite and not arrogant, which surprised Zhou Wu.

"Go to the West Market."

"If you want to go to the West Market, the cost of hiring a car is one hundred coins."

The price was nothing to Zhou Wu, so he paid the money immediately, and a carriage stopped in front of him.

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, the carriage arrived at the West Market. Although it was called the West Market, it was not the kind of market Zhou Wu had imagined. Like the East Market, it was just a normal street, except that both sides of the street were lined with small vendors, trying their best to sell their small commodities.

Zhou Wu didn't have a specific goal; he was just wandering around aimlessly.

"Sir, is this your first time in the capital? Do you need a guide? There's nothing in the capital I don't know. It only costs twenty coins."

A thin, young boy saw Zhou Wu wandering around alone and approached him.

"Oh, how old are you?"

"Sixteen, sir."

It's obvious this child is lying; his skinny frame makes him look no more than thirteen.

"Where are the adults at home?"

"He's been dead for many years."

A single sentence brought Zhou Wu back to this era. Yes, war, famine, disaster, disease—this era had too many ways to take people's lives.

"Okay, what's your name?"

"Just call me Gouwa, that's what everyone calls me."

"Okay, Gouwa, are there any places nearby for livestock trading?"

"Sir, you need to pay first."

It was obvious that the child had been taken advantage of many times before, which was why he could make such an rude request. Fortunately, he had met Zhou Wu, and twenty coins wouldn't have been a loss or a trap.

"OK."

Zhou Wu took out a small string of coins, exactly twenty coins.

"Thank you, sir. I'll take you there right away."

The boy took the money, and a look of obvious happiness appeared on his face.

"Sir, what kind of livestock are you looking to buy?"

"Oh, look, we're missing everything at home."

Zhou Wu is right. The population of Niujia Village has increased more than tenfold compared to before, and many basic things are in short supply, such as oxen. Niu Ye has raised this issue with Zhou Wu many times. Niu Ye even said that if he were a few years younger, he would definitely go to the fields to pull the plow himself, since they all share the same surname, Niu.