I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 636: Shanghai Goods Are Everywhere
Luxi County is located on Nanmu Island where Wuxi River flows into Yuanjiang River.

Luxi County was first established in the second year of Wude in the Former Tang Dynasty, and it has been nearly a thousand years since then. However, the county seat of Luxi County changed frequently, and it was not until the ninth year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty that it was moved here.

Luxi is located in a remote area with high mountains and dense forests. The county town is very small, only four or five miles long. The five-meter-high city wall is built entirely with local stones.

The city was almost entirely made of wood, with many bamboo houses. There were only four or five brick and stone houses, with dark blue bricks and gray tiles and deep courtyards, all of which belonged to the wealthy families in the city.

There are two docks in Luxi City, the upper dock next to Wuxi River and the lower dock next to Yuanjiang River. The section of the dock facing the water is full of stilt houses, half of which are suspended above the river.

The chattering voices of men and women came down from the stilt house, mixed with the waves of the river, and rushed down together and disappeared.

There are many wooden rafts and bamboo rafts at the Sheung Shui Wharf. They are goods in themselves. They go downstream and stop at Lu Creek to unload the people and goods they brought with them. Then they eat a few bowls of rice and drink a few glasses of warm wine at the foot shop on the wharf to get rid of the dampness and coldness in their bodies.

The next morning, they paddled on wooden rafts and bamboo rafts in the morning mist, and turned into the Yuan River, which was looming. They went downstream to the big city of Changde Prefecture, where they exchanged the fruits of their hard work for money, and then for various needed goods.

There are small boats at the Sheung Shui Pier, very small ones that can carry at most a dozen people.

To go upstream you must be pulled up by trackers.

We also set off early in the morning. The boat disappeared silently in the morning mist. Only the long and sad sounds of the boatmen's calls floated out from the mist.

"My dear guests on the upper beach, please close the door and wait for me. My Lord of Hell, please don't die. I will come in the dark."

There are large and small ships at the launching pier, which can go directly to Chenxi Yuanzhou and cross the lake to Baling Wuchang.

Large and small ships go downstream, while those sailing upstream raise their sails and paddle their boats, and some use boat trackers to pull the boats.

The upper pier and the lower pier are connected by a stone road, which is the busiest street in Luxi County.

There are many shops on both sides. You can find rice from Changde, silk from Changsha, tea from Wuchang, porcelain from Jiangxi, cloth from Shanghai, and salt from Yangzhou.

There are also blacksmith shops, carpenter shops, bamboo shops, cooper shops, and silversmiths scattered along the streets and nearby alleys.

There was a down-and-out scholar sitting there, with his hands in his sleeves, sitting upright, eyes slightly closed, as if he was a hermit, maintaining his last bit of dignity.

On the small table in front of him was a piece of writing: "Writing letters and complaints for others."

A man in a Taoist robe, who looked like a Taoist but was not, sat in a corner of the street. He had a pleasant face, a few rat whiskers on his chin, plasters on his temples, and a bamboo pole in his hand. A banner hung on the pole with the words "Iron Mouth Divine Diagnosis" written on it. Below it was written: "The disciple of the divine doctor, specializing in treating all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases, and one medicine can cure them all."

Most of the people coming and going on the street are men with cloth wrapped around their heads, wearing navy blue slanted-collared shirts and wide-leg pants. They wear straw sandals and carry bamboo backpacks more than one meter tall, which are full of various sundries.

I looked around the shops, wanting to buy everything, but I couldn't afford anything.

There were local women here and there, wearing embroidered aprons tied in front of them, some with flowers in their hair, some with flowered scarves wrapped around their heads. They also carried bamboo baskets on their backs, which were filled with either piles of miscellaneous items or children sitting in them, babbling.

On the street is the largest inn in Luxi County, "Yue Lai Inn", which integrates a hotel, teahouse and restaurant.

In a private room on the second floor of a restaurant and teahouse, four people sat around a table, looking at the bustling street through the half-open window.

All four of them were men, wearing cloth wrapped around their heads, navy blue slanting-collared shirts, wide-leg pants, black cloth shoes, embroidered cloth belts, and machetes with silver-inlaid black sheaths, dressed like local chieftains.

A dark-faced young man in his twenties said happily: "This Luxi County looks very prosperous."

A 40-year-old broad-faced man stroked his goatee and said, "Down the river from here is Changde Prefecture. Seventeen years ago, I had the honor of visiting Changde Prefecture.

It is more than ten times more prosperous than Luxi City. On the streets, people are packed shoulder to shoulder. If you are not careful, you won't be able to find a place to stay.

Now that I think about it, it should be even more prosperous. There are all kinds of goods there. The clock that tells time in my house was brought back from Changde Prefecture by someone.”

The 30-something leopard-eyed, bearded man opposite said in surprise, "Changde Prefecture is so prosperous, what about Changsha Prefecture, Wuchang Prefecture, and Shanghai City, where the gods are said to live, I wonder how prosperous they will be."

A fifty-year-old thin-faced old man replied in a deep voice: "It is better to see more than to listen. Go and see if you have the chance. Life is like a passing traveler. If you stay at home every day, you are like a toad lying in a puddle.

Look more, and your life will be worth it. "

"Uncle Yao, do we really have a chance to go and have a look?" the black-faced young man asked in surprise.

"There was no chance before, but there must be a chance now." The thin-faced old man replied slowly.

The broad-faced man smiled and agreed with the thin-faced man, but said nothing.

The leopard-eyed man looked around and suddenly asked, "Why haven't they come yet? Are they playing a trick on us?"

The broad-faced man chuckled and said, "Who are you to make them spend so much effort to invite you here to play with them?"

The black-faced young man nodded vigorously: "That's right, that's right!"

The leopard-eyed man was silent for a while, then said angrily: "If it weren't for the aggressive bastard Yang Yinglong, I wouldn't want to deal with the Han people!"

The thin-faced old man chuckled, "I am a Han Chinese. I have been a Han Chinese for more than ten lifetimes. Haven't you been dealing with me for half your life?"

The leopard-eyed man smiled awkwardly: "Uncle Yao, you are different. You are completely different from them."

The broad-faced man took the opportunity to say, "There are bad Han people, but there are also good Han people, such as Uncle Yao. There are good Miao people, but there are also bad Miao people, such as Yang Yinglong."

The leopard-eyed strong man glared at him and said, "You are the only one who can say all the good and bad things. I can't argue with you."

The black-faced young man chuckled: "Fourth brother, since you can't beat Third brother, let's not talk anymore. Let's eat. I heard that the chef of this inn was invited from Changsha Prefecture.

I am drooling and just want to taste his cooking.”

The other three laughed and said, "Okay, let's taste the cooking skills of the Changsha Mansion chef."

In a house not far from the inn, Ren Boan sat in the main seat, and the first person sitting below him was Yang Guian, deputy chief officer of the Hunan Dispatching Bureau of the Pacification Division and head of the Investigation Section.

Opposite and below him sat five men.

"Gui'an, are these five the heroes of our Hunan Bureau's Investigation Division?"

"Yes, everything." Yang Guian replied, "These five have been traveling in western Hunan, southern Sichuan and eastern Guizhou, threading needles, collecting intelligence, and making great contributions."

"Okay," Ren Boan nodded, "You are worthy of being the soldiers led by Yao Dushi.

Yao Dushi is my predecessor. I have heard of his achievements and I admire him very much.

When he was the deputy director of the Huguang branch of the Zhenfu Division, he traveled to Sinan, Bozhou, Yongning and Shuixi. It was his handiwork to second 3,000 wolf soldiers from Bozhou.

He bribed Yang Yinglong and his father, Yang Lie, the current Tusi of Bozhou, and his close associates to transfer 3,000 elite soldiers of the Yang family. Now they are detained in Yuezhou.

I heard that Yang Yinglong was so angry that his lungs were about to explode.

But he had clearly agreed to this matter, but he took out his anger on others. It was said that he imprisoned his father Yang Lie and also burned dozens of his close confidants to death.

But he has no choice but to negotiate with us, trying every possible way to recall the 3,000 wolf soldiers.

For this achievement, Yao Dushi was transferred to be the deputy director of the General Staff Office of Qianzhong Dusi, in charge of the Dusi intelligence and also our immediate superior.

Deputy Chief Officer Yang, you were able to invite these distinguished guests because Chief Officer Yao laid the foundation for this.”

Yang Guian quickly replied, "Yes, it's all thanks to Yao Dushi." Ren Boan said, "It's also all thanks to Yao Dushi that I got a lot of benefits from him."

He glanced at everyone and continued, "Since we have all received the favor of Yao Dushi, we must concentrate on doing the tasks he has assigned us.

We have to get it done, give him an explanation, and give ourselves an explanation."

"Yes, everything."

Ren Boan saw that the encouragement was almost over, so he turned to the main topic: "Have the four guests been settled?"

"If you go back to the capital, everything has been settled. In addition to us, there are people from the military staff office who are protecting us in secret."

"Okay. Wang Duxian and Tang Dushi are on their way. They want to receive these four guests. We must be extremely careful and do things properly. We must try to show our faces in front of Wang Duxian, not our butts."

"I know everything."

"Have we targeted the spies of Yang Clan in Bozhou?"

"To reply to the capital, six spies of the Yang family sneaked in from Tongren last month and are now hovering in Mayang and Chenxi, waiting for an opportunity to bribe the local officials and obtain intelligence.

But today is different from the past, and it is difficult for them to find out useful intelligence."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Another person reported: "The general, there are twelve people from the Yang family. They followed the Zhenyang River to Huangzhou and lingered in Yuanzhou. It is said that they went south from Huangping Fusi, entered Zhenyuan Prefecture, and went down the river.

We have learned that they are paving the way for Yang Yinglong's brother, Yang Zhaolong."

Ren Boan nodded: "The headquarters and the military commander have informed us that Yang Zhaolong is here to discuss with the governor to take back the 3,000 wolf soldiers from Bozhou. I didn't expect them to come from Zhenyuan Prefecture."

Yang Guian understood what Ren Boan meant and replied, "It's all right. The Yang family of Bozhou has three routes to the outside world. One is to go through the Chishui River in the west, go north to Hejiang, and enter the Yangtze River; the second is to go through the Wengshui Yuqing in the east, follow the Wujiang River through Sinan, go all the way north to Fuzhou and enter the Yangtze River.

The third route is to go north by land, passing Loushan Pass, Tongzi Posthouse, to Qijiang, and then to Jiangjin. This route is the shortest, but the most difficult to travel.

The first road is not easy to travel either, but it is very close to Fushun County where the well salt is produced. The salt from Bozhou and some areas of Guizhou is transported via this road.

The second route is the most circuitous and the longest, but the easiest to take. After following the Wujiang River to Sinan, you can also take the land route through Tongren Prefecture, follow the Chenshui River through Mayang to Chenxi, and then follow the Yuanjiang River directly down to Dongting Lake and directly to the Yangtze River.

Therefore, grain, cotton cloth, silk, porcelain and other goods from Bozhou Prefecture and Shuixi were generally transported to Bozhou via this route.

The Yang family of Bozhou became extremely wealthy by transporting salt through the Chishui River and grain and cotton cloth through the Wujiang River, and then reselling them to Shuixi, Duyun, Pu'an, Anshun and other prefectures and counties to make huge profits.

We originally thought that Yang Zhaolong took the second route, from Tongren through Mayang to Chenxi. We never expected that he would go to Zhenyuan Prefecture.

Ren Boan nodded and said, "During the Hongwu period, the military and civilians who were relocated to Guizhou for reclamation took the Zhenyuanfu Road. Mr. Yangming was demoted to Longchang Posthouse where he attained enlightenment, and he also took the Zhenyuanfu Road.

Now Yang Zhaolong is taking this route instead of Tongren, which shows that Yang has some ideas about opening up this route. "

Yang Guian and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. "Bozhou originally had two east-west water routes that were very smooth, so why did they suddenly have ideas about the Zhenyuan Prefecture route?
Did something happen in between? "

Ren Boan was silent for a while, "Deploy more people, first, to inquire more in Bozhou. Second, to spy more around Yang Zhaolong."

"Yes."

Wang Yi'e, Tang Kekuan, Liu Xian and Wu Cheng'en disembarked at the Luxi County Dock and walked along the polished bluestone steps to the flagstone street. Yao Bingzhou, deputy chief of the Qianzhong Division's General Staff Office, came forward to greet them.

Everyone was wearing casual clothes and dressed as businessmen. After greeting each other and bowing, Yao Bingzhou led everyone to the stone street.

Yao Bingzhou is in his thirties and was born as a health worker in Chenzhou. He is not tall and looks sturdy. When he smiles, he looks seven parts kind and three parts honest.

He said softly, "Mr. Wang, the guests are waiting at Yuelai Inn."

Wang Yi'e's eyes flashed, "Yue Lai Inn? An asset of the Jinyiwei?"

"To reply to Mr. Wang, the Commercial Investigation Division of the Shaofu Supervision Department is a business, and the Jinyiwei sometimes borrow their places when they are investigating cases and doing things."

"The Commercial Investigation Division of the Shaofu Supervisory Commission." Wang Yi'e smiled meaningfully.

A group of people walked on the cobblestone road, weaving among the locals. Their attire was different but not eye-catching.

Han merchants often come to Luxi to collect mountain products and do business.

Wu Chengen asked: "Is this street a commercial street?"

Yao Bingzhou replied: "Mr. Wu, this street is the most prosperous place in Luxi City."

Wang Yi'e was dressed in a robe, a big hat, and with his hands behind his back, he really looked like a powerful business owner.

He looked around with great interest, sizing up the shops on both sides of the street and the people who were setting up stalls wherever they could find space.

“There are very few varieties of things in the shop.”

"Mr. Wang is a well-informed man," Yao Bingzhou replied with a smile, "This is a small county town in western Hunan. It cannot be compared with Changde Prefecture and Changsha Prefecture, let alone Nanjing and Shanghai."

Wang Yi'e nodded: "Seven-color floral fabrics and Magpie brand cotton fabrics, both are from Shanghai."

Liu Xian said, "There's also Snow White sugar over there, which is from Shanghai, but the Jinlishi sugar sold next door is from Guangzhou. This shows that it's still okay to go from Guangdong to southern Hunan."

Wang Yi'e said calmly: "After Ling Futai cleans up southern Hunan in Changsha, the roads in southern Hunan will be smoother."

"Oh, Tianxian brand silk fabric from Suzhou, I didn't expect it to be available here.

Wu Chengen discovered a bright spot: "Please look, there are Yitian brand kitchen knives and hatchets, produced by Luanzhou Lulong Knife Factory. I have read the introduction of this knife factory in the Business Daily. This knife factory specializes in machine tool knives. Civilian knives are just a side dish. I didn't expect that they are all sold here."

Wang Yi'e nodded. "The Ming Dynasty was thriving in industry and commerce, and goods were circulated everywhere. Even in the remote town of Luxi, you can see them. I guess you can also see them in Bozhou, Sinan, Zhenyuan and other places."

"Yes." Everyone nodded in agreement.

The group came to the back door of the yard next to Yuelai Inn, which was the backyard of a business.

This business was also one of the bases of the Hunan Bureau of the Zhenfu Division.

Ren Boan was waiting at the door. After leading everyone into the backyard, he quickly saluted and said, "I pay my respects to Wang Duxian, Tang Dushi, Liu Dushi, Wu Changshi, and Yao Dushi."

Wang Yi'e smiled and nodded: "Guangning is personally in charge, so I feel more at ease."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Ren Boan, especially Yao Bingzhou, who stared at his face for a few seconds.

"Guangning, where are the people?"

"Governor Wang, please go to the main house with your superiors and sit for a while. I will go and invite them over. They are having dinner at the Yuelai Inn next door. There is a side door between this courtyard and the backyard of the Yuelai Inn, so the communication between them is secret and will not be known by outsiders."

"Okay, go and invite them, we'll wait here."

After a while, footsteps were heard. Wang Yi'e and others who were talking quietly turned their heads to look at the door. They saw Ren Bo'an leading the four men from Yuelai Inn to come over.

"Governor Wang, all superiors, let me introduce these four people to you..."

(End of this chapter)