The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 113 Waiting for the future...

While discussing the Sheng family, some members of the Sheng family caravan, who were temporarily resting in the outer city, also mentioned Wen Gu.

Caravans value information, as it concerns their interests and lives. Now that times have changed, they have an even stronger incentive to gather information from all sides.

Inside the room, the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table was none other than the leader of this expedition—Sheng Ren, the second-in-command of the Sheng family merchant caravan.

His face didn't show any shrewdness; instead, he had a kind and honest appearance. His demeanor was steady and reliable. If someone didn't know him, they could easily be deceived by such an honest and loyal face.

At this moment, the second owner of the Sheng family caravan had a solemn expression.

Under the current pressure to survive, the six major powers in the North are developing rapidly, and each time they are seen, they present a new appearance. The Sheng family's caravans operate every six months, and they do not trust the younger generation or their managers with such matters. Sheng Ren must personally go to various places to see the situation, which helps them to more accurately judge the current situation.

The Dong and Zhao factions were located close to each other, so their caravans first stopped in Xinzhou.

"This man... from last autumn to this spring, in such a short time, he has become the most famous person in Xinzhou City and is deeply trusted. He is no ordinary person!"

When a caravan comes to Xinzhou City, it will certainly not overlook the task of reviewing old information.

Sheng Ren analyzed the brief information he had just received and assigned tasks to his subordinates and a few trusted confidants.

After everyone else left, Sheng Ren closed his eyes and pondered, recalling what he had seen along the way and summarizing the news he had just received.

After the autumn and winter seasons, the defense works in Xinzhou have been significantly expanded.

The increased defensive facilities and enhanced defense capabilities have given those who seek refuge here a greater sense of security.

In addition, several major maritime families in the south also chose Xinzhou. This was not a decision that could be made in a short time. It must have been a long-term plan by the Zhao family.

"The situation in the north remains to be seen..."

After completing their quarantine, the Sheng family's team prepared early in the morning and drove into the city with truckloads of goods.

Very little grain or other goods were available for sale here. After the world fell into chaos, their greatest profits from trading did not come from grain transactions.

The wealthy and powerful have stored grain and are unlikely to buy it from grain merchants at high prices for the time being. Ordinary people, on the other hand, mostly cannot afford to buy grain at high prices, so grain transactions are actually limited.

Most of the goods in the caravan were items that had been entrusted to be transported and delivered to various households.

There is no need to worry about these goods being seized by local forces in Xinzhou.

Being a major grain merchant brings many advantages to the six major clans in the north. Although they have allied themselves with the Dong clan, they can still receive good treatment in the state cities occupied by the other five clans.

No one knows how many trump cards a large grain merchant like the Sheng family might have up their sleeve. If they were to resort to underhanded tactics, they might end up with nothing, or even face greater retaliation.

Therefore, in the short term, these major powers will maintain a relatively moderate attitude towards the Sheng family. If they are truly short of food, they will engage in direct trade.

As they drew closer to the inner city gates, to prevent any negligence on the part of the caravan, Sheng Ren reiterated to the manager:
"Xinzhou City is restarting the ward system, with fixed opening and closing times for the ward gates. The schedule must be carefully arranged!"

Sheng Ren did not sit in the carriage; he observed his surroundings.

The military garrisons in the outer city were all surrounded by walls, so you couldn't see what was inside and there wasn't much to see. Soon his attention was drawn to a farm oxcart in front of him.

The driver was a young farmer. The truck had no cargo compartment; it was carrying goods covered with a cloth, so it was impossible to tell what they were.

An old farmer was sitting in the car, talking in a low voice. Sheng Ren vaguely heard a few keywords, and it seemed that "Jingxingfang" was mentioned.

Even without Sheng Ren's prompting, the stewards and confidants around him, though outwardly discreet, focused some of their attention on the old farmer.

Soon, the oxcart arrived at the inner city gate. Unlike many villagers who were timid and hesitant when they saw the gate guards, the two people on the oxcart appeared remarkably calm.

The old farmer on the cart was still quite nimble. He jumped off the cart, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to the guard at the city gate: "Goods from Jingxingfang."

The guards quickly inspected the goods and found no unauthorized detention. They even chatted with the old farmer in a friendly manner.

Trucks carrying goods into the city are definitely charged an entry fee, which is already collected at the outer city gate. However, people carrying goods usually know to pay a little when entering the inner city.

Nowadays, the value of copper coins fluctuates greatly, and they are usually exchanged for goods. However, the old man driving the cart did not unload any goods from the cart, but instead handed over several small pieces of paper. The guard at the city gate smiled with delight.

Sheng Ren's eyes flickered slightly.

Qian Yin?

No, it's too small, and the print is too simple.

Aside from these, there's... the grain coupons from Jingxingfang mentioned in the news?

Merchants like them were sensitive to tickets and understood their significance. Seeing the attitude of the city gate guards, Sheng Ren's regard for Jingxingfang increased even more.

Upon entering the inner city, before even seeing much else, I was immediately struck by the flamboyant and dazzling Precious Bridge.

Even though I've seen many rare and precious treasures, I was still deeply moved by the amazing scenery there.

"It seems there are really many wealthy families in Xinzhou City!"

You can feel the noble aura emanating from there from a long distance!

Sheng Ren only glanced over from a distance, without going over immediately; he had his own schedule. He composed himself and reviewed his plans for the trip.

After entering the city, he would visit various households for the first two days to deliver the New Year's gifts, letters, and other items he had brought with him, while also maintaining his network of relationships.

The invitations have been sent out in advance, and the approximate times for each family have been agreed upon.

The first place to go was naturally the Zhao residence. I didn't expect to see the head of the Zhao family, but if I was lucky enough to see the young master of the Zhao family, the trip would not have been in vain.

In the past two days, his subordinates and trusted confidants have been sent to gather information.

They had a place to stay in Xinzhou City. After settling in, one of the stewards set off with a mission to the locations of Jingxingfang and Qingyunfang.

No need to ask around, wherever Baoqiao is, Jingqing Liangfang is right there!

However, compared to the more bustling Jingxingfang, this junior manager was more curious about Qingyunfang.

To put it bluntly, Jingxingfang will eventually become just an entertainment venue. As for the Wanfu Garden that the Shen family spearheaded, you can imagine what kind of place it is. They value Wen Gu, the head of Jingxingfang, but in times of chaos, heroes emerge. These days, various powers are seeing a surge of talented young men. These lowly stewards, having accompanied their masters to various places, have personally witnessed several brave and handsome individuals, so they aren't particularly curious about Wen Gu.

The Taoist temple in Qingyunfang, and the Taoist priest Qingyi mentioned in the news, who was given special treatment by the Zhao family, make people even more eager to find out the truth.

When the Zhao family took over Xinzhou, they killed quite a few monks and Taoists! Those who know the inside story will understand that those killed were people who were inciting people's hearts and spreading rumors. But it also shows that the Zhao family really showed no mercy to monks and Taoists. There were even rumors that the Zhao family hated monks and Taoists.

Today, a Taoist temple is under construction in Xinzhou City, and it is quite large.

The steward of the Sheng family looked at him with a hint of caution: "That Daoist Qingyi must possess profound and unfathomable magical abilities!"

Qingyunfang.

Master Qingyi is currently residing in the courtyard, in his room.

Snapped!
A stack of papers covered in writing was slammed heavily onto the table, and some papers even fell to the floor due to the force of the impact.

The sound of defenses being breached could be heard inside.

"Quit!"

"Let whoever wants to do it do it!"

"Damn it!"

"Am I the only one in the entire Xinzhou who can refine these things? Why are they targeting me specifically?!"

"Too deceiving!"

"damn thing!"

Discarding the lists filled with writing, Master Qingyi's face darkened.

Silently recite the scriptures, regulate your breathing and calm your mind.

Then, stand up.

With a cold expression, he picked up the scattered pieces of paper one by one.

Who would have thought!
Before coming to Xinzhou, I was ambitious and did hope to be valued, but this is too much!
The tasks came one after another, one after another.

Leaving aside the distant past, let's look at the most recent issue: improving printing inks? A minor problem, not difficult.

Just after we finished dealing with that, that dog-like scholar delivered another stack of task lists.

He's been so busy that he hasn't had a chance to discuss Taoist philosophy with his followers!
I didn't want to take it at first, but... well... the reward is quite generous.

I couldn't resist continuing.

I couldn't resist!

Master Qingyi felt that this was really too difficult for him.

Not only do we need to build the Taoist temple, but we also need to renovate it!

Given the choice between standard and luxurious renovations, the ambitious man naturally chose the latter!
It cost a fortune!

At the same time, crafting magical artifacts and various items also requires many rare materials, some of which cannot be bought with money and food. In fact, once a little is used, it is gone. Only the Zhao family has them in their warehouse and is willing to give them out as payment.

How could I resist when I saw all of this on the task list?!

Master Qingyi, with a stern face, continued to tackle the difficult tasks on the list.

For what felt like the umpteenth time, I silently chanted in my heart: Just wait! Until my Taoist temple is built...

Before long, a young Taoist priest came to report:

“Master, there is a group of merchants from outside the temple. They say their family name is Sheng and they want to buy our temple’s exorcism talismans and incense for the caravan to use on their journey.”

Master Qingyi sneered.

Despite spending all his time here, he's well-informed and received news of the Sheng family's caravan's arrival.

It's impossible for such a large caravan not to have sufficient stock; their visit to the Taoist temple was at most a test of their strength.

Perhaps they were curious about why a Taoist temple had suddenly appeared in Xinzhou City, and wanted to know whether there were really Taoist priests in the temple or just a front set up by the Zhao family.
Having roughly guessed the other party's purpose, Master Qingyi let out a cold snort.

Whether we test the waters or not, we're not afraid at all!

Full of confidence!

He truly deserves credit!

This land, this Taoist temple, this treatment—all of it was earned through hard work, one piece of paper at a time!

The Sheng family was quite open and honest. If the caravan had been secretive and evasive, they wouldn't have been willing to sell!

Since the other party is so open and honest, there's no need to worry about anything.

"If he wants to buy it, let him buy it. Same old rule!"

Don't sell too low, and don't sell too high!

Such trivial matters can be handled directly by the disciples. The other party is just a minor manager; there's no need for the master to personally intervene. Although we're not famous, we must maintain our proper status and not allow ourselves to be looked down upon!
Master Qingyi put this matter aside for the time being.

The Sheng family caravan was indeed a potentially large client, but unfortunately, the timing wasn't right. Their intentions weren't sincere either.

When I become famous throughout the world...

(End of this chapter)