novelAbuy Chapter 54 A Guest Arrives from Hedong
Chapter 54 A Guest Arrives from Hedong
In March, Kaifeng was still a bit chilly, but the flowers were in bloom and the grass was green. Many beautiful women strolled along the Bian River in twos and threes, enjoying the spring scenery.
Since it was revealed that Zhao Guangmei was the owner behind Tongfu Inn, business has been even better than before. Locals from Kaifeng have been flocking to the inn to eat, and business from out-of-town inns and warehouses has gradually returned.
"Shopkeeper, please give me a superior room and help me move my goods. I have some top-quality salt here, and this is a salt certificate."
A merchant, speaking with a Hedong accent, who looked to be only in his early twenties and dressed in fine silk, was quite refined as he approached the counter.
Manager Tong immediately recognized this as a major customer and quickly stepped forward to personally greet him. He first carefully examined the tea certificate in the visitor's hand, and upon confirming it was indeed official salt, he repeatedly showed a warm and attentive smile, saying:
"My esteemed guest, there are no rooms available in the superior rooms today."
The newcomer handed over a piece of gold, smiling as he said, "Shopkeeper, please help me out."
Shopkeeper Tong, his eyes lighting up at the sight of money, immediately took the gold with a beaming smile, gently bit it in his mouth, and said with even greater obsequiousness, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll try to find a way to help you."
Several guesthouses have rooms reserved for prostitutes they work with. You could try negotiating with them, or if that doesn't work, you could book one for the night yourself and take her home to work as a prostitute.
"Wu San, Wu San, quickly arrange for people to unload the goods for our distinguished guest."
But then the young merchant whispered, "Manager, I also brought some high-quality Jinzhou alum with me when I delivered the salt. Could you please help me store it in the warehouse and see if you can find a market for it? I'll give you 30% as a referral fee after it's sold, how about that?"
"Thirty percent?"
Manager Tong's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly: "Alright, alright, the goods will be stored at our Tongfu Inn. You can rest assured, sir, that everything will be perfectly safe."
During the Five Dynasties and early Song Dynasty, alum was an absolute contraband. Emperor Zhao Kuangyin strictly controlled it, and anyone who smuggled even a single alum was immediately executed. The level of enforcement was similar to that of drug prohibition in later dynasties.
But who is Manager Tong? He has a powerful background. Tongfu Inn is a prestigious brand, backed by three powerful figures, including Wang Lu, the grandson of Han Tong, and Li Jilong, the eldest son of Li Chuyun.
He went from being a wholly-owned owner to a manager holding only 30% of the shares, all for this background. When the Kaifeng patrol officers came to cause trouble, they were simply beaten to death and thrown out onto the street. Who would dare to investigate or manage the buying and selling of alum?
Besides, who said this thing is illegal? Just find some connections to make it legal, right? Is that a problem for the Three Kings?
Since he had the ability to obtain salt permits for salt extraction, but the alum was smuggled, it means that this person must have some connections, but not very strong ones. Using legal salt permits to smuggle illegal alum is quite clever.
"Since you've come from afar, let's rest in the superior room for a while. I'll have the waiter fetch you some hot water so you can take a hot bath and relax. Then you can try some of Tongfu Inn's signature stir-fries. We can talk about the alum later."
"Alright, then I'll trouble you, shopkeeper."
This man was generous; he handed over at least several thousand kilograms of goods to the warehouse clerk and then went upstairs to his room with his entourage and the innkeeper's assistant to rest. This surprised Manager Tong.
"Young Marshal, I still don't understand. Given your status, why are you staying at this privately run inn in the capital? Even if you're here to gather information, you should be staying at our Zhaoyi Army's Jinzouyuan (Beijing Liaison Office). If people find out in the future, won't we become a laughingstock?"
"My entire family, including my son and several dozen people, are in imminent danger. In this life-or-death situation, how could I care whether others would laugh at me?"
This young man was none other than Li Shoujie, the eldest son of Li Jun, the military governor of Zhaoyi Army.
After Zhao Kuangyin donned the yellow robe, he sent an envoy to Luzhou to appoint Li Jun as the Grand Chancellor. Although Li Jun accepted the appointment, he suddenly took out a portrait of Guo Wei and wept bitterly while entertaining the envoy, expressing his dissatisfaction with Zhao Kuangyin's usurpation of the Zhou dynasty.
In fact, Guo Chong from Hebei also did this, but Guo Chong only cried a little. As a regional governor of Hebei, he always had to follow Fu Yanqing's wishes. Fu Yanqing never took any action, and Guo Chong did nothing else except to annoy Zhao Kuangyin.
However, after disgusting Zhao Kuangyin, Li Jun immediately marched and occupied Tianjing Pass, showing that he was going to establish a separatist regime and rebel.
However, what's strange about Li Jun is that while he occupied Tianjing Pass, he also took the initiative to hand over the secret letter from the Northern Han side that they were plotting to contact him to Zhao Kuangyin, in order to show his loyalty to Zhao Kuangyin.
So, do you want to rebel or not?
Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin sent an envoy to appoint Li Shoujie as the Imperial City Envoy, ordering him to work in the palace as his head bodyguard, which meant that Li Jun sent his son as a hostage.
And here they are, here they come.
However, Li Shoujie used a trick when he went to the capital. He found a substitute and used his name to travel slowly along the way. At this time, the person was still in Zhengzhou and it would take at least a few more days before he could reach the capital.
He disguised himself as a merchant from Hedong and arrived in Kaifeng ahead of time, intending to use these few days to observe the situation and people's sentiments in Kaifeng and to gather information.
If you feel there is danger, you can still run away in these few days. If there is no danger, you can just switch places with the fake one when the time comes.
"Don't underestimate this inn. Although it's a private inn, it's actually backed by the younger brother of the Zhao family, an official. A valiant figure like Wang Yansheng didn't die on the battlefield, but he died in this little inn."
"A letter from the Imperial Secretariat said that this small inn is quite extraordinary; not only does it have a powerful background, but its unique cuisine is also excellent. Therefore, many high-ranking officials and nobles in Kaifeng are willing to dine here."
Moreover, there are many merchants from other places who are well-informed and can inquire about situations outside Kaifeng. Isn't this the most suitable place to gather information?
"I see. So, young marshal, you specially brought a lot of alum without any alum additive this time, just as bait for fishing?"
"Yes, it's a pity things were too rushed, and there wasn't time to do it more meticulously. Alas, Father always looked down on Zhao Kuangyin, thinking he was young and inexperienced, lacked a solid foundation, and was inferior to him in terms of seniority and prestige. He believed that once they faced each other on the battlefield, the Kaifeng Imperial Guards might defect and surrender."
"Alas, but looking at everything we've seen and heard along the way, in just over three months, Kaifeng has become so stable and prosperous. Where is the slightest sign of discontent among the troops? Alas, Father is truly foolish."
Li Shoujie's trip to the capital was not without the intention of probing the situation. If Kaifeng's morale was indeed low, he might just run back and persuade his father to follow Liu Zhiyuan's example and take the city.
His father was almost sixty, while he was in his early twenties, in the prime of his life. If he really had the chance to take over the world, wouldn't it be his?
There was no need for further investigation; he could already tell that Zhao Kuangyin was deeply popular with the army. Otherwise, Kaifeng would never have been so bustling and prosperous.
In this inn, if you want to stay in a superior room, you have to pay extra and compete with prostitutes. The empty rooms are filled with the smell of rouge and powder.
Judging from the inn's business alone, Li Shoujie knew that he couldn't win. The scenario his father had imagined—that the Imperial Guards would defect because of his seniority—would never happen.
You underestimate Zhao Kuangyin.
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion outside. Li Shoujie curiously glanced out the window and saw a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old enter. The inn's staff, prostitutes, and even the guests eating in the lobby all greeted the newcomer very warmly.
"Go ask the waiter, who's this? So young, how can he have such a big face? Could he be the Third King?"
A short while later, the guard returned and reported, "Young Marshal, it's not the Third King, but his sworn brother, Wang Lu, who is also one of the owners of this inn."
"He's very popular, what's he doing here?"
"It is said that...the father and son took over the Prime Minister's residence that Zhao Kuangyin had bestowed upon Han Tong, and wanted to ask the prostitutes in the inn to help them find some maids who would serve them personally to buy back."
"Buy maids?"
Li Shoujie was slightly taken aback, then turned his head to look at his personal maid and asked, "Xiao Tao, how long have you been at my house?"
"Replying to the young master, I am a servant born into the Li family, and I will surely die in the Li family in the future."
Li Shoujie bowed respectfully to his maid, saying, "My entire Li family is in dire straits. This man is renowned, resides in Han Tong's residence, and is also the Emperor's sworn brother; his connections must be considerable. Could you please go to his side and become a spy?"