Zhurou

Chapter 220 Could it be

Zhao Hong said very reluctantly: "Although there are some things left at home, they are too far away and there is no time to send them over. Besides, I want to leave them for my sister to use in the future! Even if I can spare a little, I don't want to give them to these selfish, servile people..."

Zhao Mingzhi smiled and said, "The most precious thing in the house is not the gold and silver."

She stopped talking and just smiled at her brother.

The latter was stunned for a while, looking like he was racking his brains.

Zhao Mingzhi no longer wanted to keep him in suspense, and said, "You never thought that your status was special, but in the final analysis, as for today, isn't it because of your status as the emperor?"

Zhao Hong was stunned for a moment, but he reacted immediately and stood up suddenly.

Zhao Mingzhi called a palace servant and asked him to bring a wooden box and place it in front of Zhao Hong, saying, "This is the recipe left by our family. You can choose one or two from them and ask the pharmaceutical supervisor to arrange people to help make them. As for how to reward you in the future, it all depends on your wishes."

Zhao Hong's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the wooden box, looked through the prescription, and said, "I'll go back and make medicine!"

He was very excited to get this task to do and did not want to delay for a moment. He was also afraid of being asked more questions and did not want to stay any longer, so he ran away in a hurry with the wooden box.

The eunuch Wang Shu was still behind and was about to catch up when he was stopped by Zhao Mingzhi.

The man's heart skipped a beat and he stood still and saluted.

Zhao Mingzhi said: "Your Majesty is a very focused person, and making medicine is not something that can be done overnight. You should follow him and remind him to work and rest."

Wang Shu thought he would be asked about the matter of the golden beads, and was still struggling over whether to tell it all or keep it a secret for the emperor. However, Zhao Mingzhi did not mention it at all. Instead, he suddenly realized it after he left the hall and felt a little embarrassed.

——Your Highness didn't ask, and His Majesty didn't mention it. Those gold pearls were originally saved by His Majesty with great difficulty over the years, and some were also given by the princes and princesses in the past. Could they have just been lost outside the palace?

The emperor is still young now, and he can't think of so many things at once. When he wakes up in the future and goes to look for it, it will fall on his head, but where will he find it then?

When he thought of this, Wang Shu stamped his feet, fearing that he would have trouble explaining in the future. Although he had saved some money in previous years, he was unable to bring much to the capital in a hurry. Now he had to scrape together the money from here and there and ask someone to go to the herbal medicine store to redeem the money.

Not to mention that Zhao Hong took the prescription back and carefully selected it for half a day. He specially took the ready-made ingredients in the palace and the method did not take long. He also summoned the official from the pharmaceutical supervision department to give detailed instructions.

But he was persistent in doing things. Even if he asked for instructions, he would do every process himself and refused to let others do anything. He did not rest until midnight. Only after Wang Shu and others persuaded him hard did he stop. Before going to bed, he would sit at his desk for half a day to write and calculate, and make a plan in order to make the pills the next day.

Naturally, this news quickly reached Zhao Mingzhi's ears.

She couldn't help but feel sad about her brother's stubborn temper.

The late emperor used to copy scriptures as a tribute to the Empress Dowager, but in fact it was just a show, as most of the work was done by his children and subordinates.

But since the younger brother was related to him, he refused to give any concessions.

Acting in this way is actually competing with yourself. Being too meticulous can hurt your body, which is not necessarily a good thing.

However, Zhao Mingzhi couldn't judge whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Besides, instead of thinking about it one way and another the next, worrying about it day and night, it would be better to concentrate on making the pill. At least when he started, his mind would be clear and he wouldn't have any random thoughts.

So Zhao Mingzhi did not interfere at all, but asked people to take good care of him. Except for urging him to eat and sleep, he let him decide everything else.

  ***

Besides, Mo Xiang had been busy all day and did not return to the palace that night, but stayed overnight in the outer city. As soon as the sky brightened and the curfew was lifted, dozens of groups of people set out from different places in the inner and outer cities and hurried out of the city, some to the south, some to the west, some by water, and some by land.

The leader of one of the teams was named Zhang. He brought two or three young men to the dock early in the morning. When they arrived, they did not look for the big ship, but just looked for the small boat in the corner.

One of the followers couldn't help asking, "Boss, it's very chaotic right now. Should we find a big ship so that we can gather together, it will be easier to deal with thieves if we encounter trouble?"

Shopkeeper Zhang shook his head and said, "Fool, I'm going to teach you a lesson today. The capital has been under siege for months, and now that it's been released, the waterways may not be very smooth. Although a large ship looks good, it's not as convenient as a small boat. A boat is light and fast, and it doesn't cost much to rent one. It's better than a large ship that stops every few steps. There are so many people and eyes, and we don't know when the waterway will be cut off. Let's go downstream and see what the situation is. We can stop and ask prices along the way. I wonder how much cheaper it will be!"

Na Qiuer nodded repeatedly in agreement.

The group soon found a few small boats. Manager Zhang approached them hastily and called out, "Boatman, what's the price for chartering a boat today?"

Almost at the moment he opened his mouth, someone not far away called out, "Boatman, do you want to pack this boat?"

Shopkeeper Zhang was stunned for a moment, thinking that the voice sounded familiar. He looked up, but because it was just getting light, it took him a while to recognize the face of the person opposite him. His heart tightened, and he hurriedly stepped forward and called out, "Is it Shopkeeper Tang from Guang'an Bank?"

"Exactly. Is that Shopkeeper Zhang across the street?"

The two met each other, exchanged a few pleasantries, and inevitably asked each other where the other was going, but they were both calm and composed.

Shopkeeper Tang said, "The capital has been under siege for so many days, and the master said that he didn't know what the old house in the village was like, so he asked me to go back and take a look. It's a good time to hang paper, and there's nothing else to do."

Shopkeeper Zhang also said, "I am the master who is worried about the eldest young master. After all, he is studying alone in the south and is worried that he will lack food and clothing..."

Both of them said that it was nothing important, but when asked about their specific whereabouts, neither of them refused to reveal. In the end, they each chartered a small boat and set off one after the other.

The shopkeeper Zhang was anxious, so he paid more money and asked the boatman to use all his strength and row quickly. It happened that the wind was strong and the water was favorable that day, so the boat really went downstream, and soon the boat rented by Shopkeeper Tang could no longer be seen.

He originally thought that the encounter between the two places was just a coincidence, but when he arrived at the next pier to rest, the boatman was about to stop the boat to light a fire and cook, but he saw dozens of small boats parked in that corner.

By this time the sun was already high in the sky and the light was quite bright. Shopkeeper Zhang glanced over and saw a familiar face sitting on the outermost boat.

——It turned out to be the soup shop owner from this morning.

Before he could say anything, he heard someone behind him say "Huh!" and turning around, he saw two other small boats paddling towards him. A man standing at the bow also looked familiar. It turned out to be another manager of a business in the city.

Shopkeeper Zhang was startled and turned to look at the other boats. Sure enough, he found a few familiar faces on them. They were all selling wood, bricks and tiles in the city. Although their business was not the best, they were also large-scale. They saw each other every day. It was a coincidence that they all chartered boats to go south today, and they ended up in the same destination. What was the reason? He didn't need to ask.

Logically, now that the siege of the capital has been lifted and the bandits have retreated a little, prices in the city have skyrocketed, and it is reasonable for people from all walks of life to go out to find goods, and there is no need to hide it like this. But this time, for some reason, everyone was hiding and refused to reveal a word. They greeted each other from a distance, didn't pay much attention to each other, and left quickly.

Not only this time, but also when we stopped at the next pier in the evening, we met many familiar faces again - it was obvious that they were all heading in the same direction.

Seeing this, the attendant couldn't help but ask, "Boss, do you think the guy in front looks like the second manager of the Chen's Cloth Shop next door?"

Shopkeeper Zhang looked over and saw that it was indeed what he saw. He frowned and nodded.

The attendant was surprised and asked, "How come we met so many people from our group along the way? There were only seven or eight of us at noon, but now there are more. Many of them also have Beijing accents. Although I don't recognize all of them, they look familiar to me. It seems like we are doing business on the same street as us."

The shopkeeper Zhang thought about it and said nothing else. He asked the boatman to drop anchor near the second manager of Chen's cloth shop. When there were few people around, he waved to the other party and called out, "Chen Er!"

Manager Chen Er across the street was obviously stunned when he heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw that it was Shopkeeper Zhang. He was also very surprised. He responded and said, "Brother Zhang, why is it you?"

The two shops were separated from each other and did different business. Moreover, Manager Zhang was related to the sister of Manager Chen's wife. Although they were not close, they could still establish some kinship through some idle talk and they were not as secretive as other people when talking about them.

After the two sides greeted each other, Zhang the shopkeeper asked, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Manager Chen Er said, "Forget about others, but since you are asking, I can't hide it. The day before yesterday, a business came to the shop. The thief Di had just left, and the family wanted to wait a few more days. Who knew that a guest suddenly came, so we couldn't delay..."

Shopkeeper Zhang asked, "Are you a regular customer?"

"Although this is the first time I've met him, he should be reliable—the deposit has been paid in advance."

Shopkeeper Zhang was shocked when he heard this and asked hurriedly, "Did you pay 40% of the deposit first?"

Manager Chen Er looked at Manager Zhang in surprise and asked, "How did you know?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he widened his eyes and said in a lost voice: "You are going south today, your family..."

However, before he could finish his words, he shut up and turned to look nearby, fearing that others might have heard him.

The two of them simply paired up, and the shopkeeper said, "My place has a manager in his early thirties, with no beard, but a rather tall figure..."

He described the guest's appearance in detail.

Manager Chen Er said: "The customer who came to my shop is a young woman..."

Seeing that their looks and ages didn't quite match, Shopkeeper Zhang couldn't conclude that there was no relationship between the two.

He didn't know how to react, and when he looked at the many boats parked at the pier, he was shocked and suspicious, and had countless guesses - everyone was so anxious, could it be that they all had big customers placing orders?

Sure enough, as I headed south, I met familiar faces more than once, all of whom were rushing to the nearest source of goods.

There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. When he arrived at the destination, Shopkeeper Zhang needed a lot of goods in a hurry. He contacted several shops that used to supply him with goods. Not only did they increase the price, but they were also afraid to agree to a deal. They just said they would buy from everywhere. After he had finally saved up some money, he went around looking for laborers and ships to transport the goods.

  However, after searching for a long time, he found it particularly difficult to recruit workers this time, and the price was much higher. He had no choice but to ask an acquaintance, and the porter finally gave him the lowdown, saying, "A lot of people from the capital have come to the city these past two days, buying everything, not only tiles and bricks, but also ordinary cloth, grain, and needles and threads. They want everything they see. The price of everything in the city has gone up, and there is not enough manpower - didn't you see that the docks are empty? Not to mention people, there are not even a few boats left!

If you hadn't asked me, I would have mobilized all the people and boats I had saved to get a little bit of money together. If someone else had asked, we wouldn't even have these few people and boats."

He added, "Besides, when we heard that we were going to the capital, no one was willing to take us there because they were afraid of fighting and even more afraid of encountering the Di people. Even if we offered a high price, we could only go as far as Lishui County, and I'm afraid they wouldn't go any further. You'll have to find someone else and a boat there."

Prices in the capital have risen sharply, and wealth and honor are sought at the cost of risk. Although everyone is worried about the Di soldiers' return, there are always people who value money over life, so it is not surprising that a few people come out to buy. Especially compared to other sources of goods, this place is closest to the capital, and it is convenient to go by water, so it will be targeted early.

Shopkeeper Zhang was prepared and not that surprised. He just felt that the others arrived too early.

He was already the first group to leave the city and had chartered a small boat. Logically, he was at least the first group and should not have arrived after the rest of the people and goods had been sent out. However, since he had nowhere to ask, he calculated the cost in his mind. Even if he had to transfer several times by water or land, as long as he could return to Beijing early, the profit would still be huge and well worth the trip. So he did not try to be too tough. After a few bargainings, he agreed to the price offered by the other party and urged them to find more boats and manpower.

He thought the matter had been resolved, but when the goods arrived the next evening and were ready to be loaded on the ship, the porter came over in a sweat and apologized as soon as he met him, saying, "There's really nothing I can do. It was my fault."

Then he returned the deposit.

Shopkeeper Zhang was extremely anxious and kept asking questions until he found out what had happened.

It turned out that the boat and workers that the pier had originally booked were snatched away by a group of people from the capital early this morning at a high price. Because the other party promised to send them to the third ferry before Lishui County, they would change boats and people and there was no need to go further. The captain and many of the workers were willing to go and pick them up, so they turned down Manager Zhang's business.

Shopkeeper Zhang was so angry that he cursed, "I've already paid the deposit! If you want to raise the price, just tell me. Can't you afford it?"

The man at the opposite pier stammered and was unable to speak for a long time.

Shopkeeper Zhang wanted to curse again, but he heard a quarrel not far away. He looked up and saw several people from the shop next door gathered together. One of them shouted, "What do you mean the captain we found earlier is sick? If he is sick, the boat can't be sick, right? Find me another captain. We agreed on this the other day. If you dare to break the promise, don't blame me for causing trouble for you!"

Someone else came forward to try to stop the fight, but I don’t know what he said, but they didn’t stop and continued to curse.

Shopkeeper Zhang thought the voice sounded familiar, so he walked closer and saw that it was indeed Shopkeeper Tang. Just as he was about to ask questions, he heard someone next to him say, "Mr. Tang, all the boats in the county have been mobilized this time, and it's too late to investigate now. If you are in a hurry, you might as well go back and forth to find another boat and someone to come over. Maybe it will be faster..."

"It's easy for you to say that. If the delivery is delayed, who will make up for the money I lost? If it can't be delivered before the 15th, I will have to pay 10% interest! Will you compensate me?!"

While Manager Tang was still cursing, Manager Zhang did not waste any more time and turned around to look for the pier. He hurriedly went upstream and downstream to look for boats and crews. He calculated the time again and again in his mind and found that the 15th was also the deadline for his departure.

Could it be that all these people from the capital were arranged by one group? Who has such financial resources and what is their intention?