Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

Tangyin County was a small county town. After the Jin army passed through, they ransacked the homes of the wealthy merchants and tycoons in the town. Many people died in this catastrophe, and as a result, countless lands became ownerless. As soon as the situation stabilized, some people forcibly occupied them and became new landlords and powerful families.

Meanwhile, the tenant farmers who cultivated the land continued to live in dire straits, their lives unchanged except that they had a different owner.

Li Zhen rode his horse into Tangyin City, with Yue Peng leading the way. The streets of the county town were lined with shops selling various goods, but Li Zhen paid them no attention. He wanted to see what good items the shops selling antiques and calligraphy had, which he could then bring back to the modern world and sell for a good price.

Everywhere you look, you see beggars and refugees in tattered clothes, and even people selling their children with straw stuck in their dirty hair. Having been here for some time now, Li Zhen has long since become numb to these sights. After all, in this chaotic world, human life is the cheapest thing, especially for these refugees.

The two soon stopped in front of a shop. Li Zhen dismounted and looked up at the shop's sign.

"Jubaozhai, what a great name!"

A middle-aged man who looked like a shopkeeper came out: "Is there anything you wish to buy, sir? Why not come and take a look at our humble shop?"

Li Zhen smiled at the middle-aged man: "Then I'll trouble you."

After saying that, she went inside, led by the middle-aged man.

Upon entering, he saw many paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, and below them, a variety of porcelain and jade artifacts were arranged in a neat and orderly fashion. Unfortunately, Li Zhen did not know how to appreciate the authenticity of these items, so he could only take a cursory look at them.

The middle-aged man quickly brought over two cups of tea and gently placed them on the table: "My surname is Zhang, and I am the manager of this shop. I wonder if you have any items you like?"

Li Zhen calmly took a modern stemmed glass from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and asked with a smile, "Manager Zhang, what do you think of the value of this wine glass of mine?"

Today, Li Zhen specially prepared some things for entering Tangyin City. He prepared several glass wine cups like these because he knew that there were no glass products in ancient times. These things he brought from modern times could definitely fetch a good price.

Shopkeeper Zhang carefully picked up the wine glass. He could see through it in the sunlight that it was very transparent. He was overjoyed. His business had been bad ever since the Jurchens came south. He never expected to come across such a good item today. If he sold it to Daming Prefecture or Hejian Prefecture, he would definitely make a fortune.

Shopkeeper Zhang: "What a fine piece! This is the first time I've ever seen such a clear crystal wine glass. It's just a pity there's only one; I can only offer three taels at most. If it were a pair, the price would be..."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen took out another identical wine glass from his sleeve and placed it on the table again.

Shopkeeper Zhang's eyes lit up. He carefully placed the two wine glasses together and was surprised to find that they were not only the same size and height, but also identical in transparency and material. This was truly rare.

Little did he know that such glass goblets would be commonplace in modern times, with almost every household owning a few, perfect for drinking wine or beverages. However, things were different in the Song Dynasty. Glassware didn't exist then, and even if Western Region countries possessed glassmaking technology, the transparency and purity would be far inferior to those found in the Song Dynasty.

Just as Manager Zhang was about to speak, Li Zhen pulled out several more glasses in quick succession. And that wasn't all; Li Zhen even took out a gourd-shaped glass bottle and casually placed it on the table.

At this moment, there were six wine glasses and a gourd-shaped glass bottle on the table, and the sunlight was reflected off them, making the whole room reflect a dazzling light.

Shopkeeper Zhang swallowed hard. After considering for a moment, he said, "Esteemed sir, are you sure you want to sell this set?"

Li Zhen said calmly, "I have countless similar items. As long as you offer the right price, I'll come over often."

Shopkeeper Zhang: "To be honest, this set of crystal products is absolutely unique in the world. I've never encountered anything like it in all my years in this business. How about this, for our first collaboration, I'll offer you three hundred taels of silver, how about that?"

Upon hearing the price, Yue Peng, standing behind Li Zhen, felt a moment of disbelief: how much grain could three hundred taels buy!

Li Zhen readily agreed, "Alright! Manager Zhang seems to be an honest man, so let's go with the price you mentioned. Besides that, I'd like to get something from you to take back with me. Do you have any jade or jewelry? Don't try to rip me off with counterfeit goods."

Seeing that Li Zhen had agreed to his price, Manager Zhang happily found a large wooden box and carefully packed the set of crystal-clear wine cups inside. What he didn't know was that in modern times, something like this would only cost a few dozen yuan, but it didn't exist in the Song Dynasty, so it was a case of scarcity making it valuable.

After the shopkeeper had put everything away, he took out a smaller box, opened it, and placed it on the table.

Shopkeeper Zhang: "There's a string of white jade and agate prayer beads here, which I just acquired a few days ago. The seller said it came from the Bianjing Imperial Palace. If you like it, how about I give it to you for one hundred taels?"

Bathed in soft sunlight, a string of white jade and agate prayer beads quietly radiates a warm glow. Each bead seems like a work of art meticulously sculpted by nature; the white jade is pure and flawless, like the first snow on a snow-capped mountain peak, pristine and immaculate. The agate displays varying shades of red, like a touch of magnificence in the sunset, adding a touch of mystery and solemnity to the entire string of beads.

The string for the prayer beads is made of the finest silk, soft yet resilient. Gently rubbing it in the palm of your hand, you can almost feel the weight of time and history. Each bead is meticulously polished by artisans, its surface smooth as a mirror and its touch warm and jade-like. When they collide with each other, they produce a clear and melodious sound, as if telling tales of thousands of years of legend and wisdom.

Li Zhen held the beads in his hand, feeling their soft warmth. After playing with them for a while, he put them back into the box.

Li Zhen: "The goods are good, but the price is not right. Manager Zhang, isn't one hundred taels a bit too high?"

Actually, Manager Zhang bought this from a Jin soldier for fifty taels of silver. He also bought several paintings and calligraphies at the same time. He thought Li Zhen was a big customer and wanted to spend more money.

Shopkeeper Zhang hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Since you like it, it means this string of prayer beads is destined for you. Eighty taels is really the lowest I can offer."