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Chapter 188 Making Big Money

"Oh? I've never heard of any way to get rich from blacksmithing!" Fu Lu came over and snorted in disbelief. "How rich did you blacksmiths get to be that you'd give up your own business?!"

"I don't know." The man sighed, "I only heard that those blacksmiths went off to make a fortune, but I've never seen anyone come back, nor have I seen anyone come back with any money!
I saw that those people's wives, children, and parents were still busy working in the village from dawn to dusk to make a living. They used to have a blacksmith shop to make money to buy rice and vegetables, but now that the blacksmith shop has closed, they not only don't have a good life, but are even worse off than before!

So everyone was saying, "After getting rich, maybe those guys forgot their roots, abandoned their wives and children, and started their own families and lived a good life outside!"

Judging from the man's tone, he seemed to be very convinced of this matter.

Zhu Yu said nothing.

In her opinion, this was unlikely.

If one or two blacksmiths got some chance, made a fortune, and abandoned their wives and children, then perhaps it was possible.

But it is incredible that so many people chose to abandon their wives and children, and even left their parents at home without a care.

"Then why can you find a blacksmith selling farm tools just by walking dozens of miles away? Could it be that the blacksmith over there doesn't know the way to make money here?" Fu Lu asked.

"Within this area of ​​dozens of miles, there's only one old blacksmith. He's in his sixties or seventies. He was originally too tired to work iron and had planned to retire at home. But at his age, the people around him couldn't find another blacksmith shop, so they forced him to start working again!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu had already guessed what was going on. She thanked the man, and the five of them mounted their horses and continued on their journey.

This time, they did not stop along the way, but rushed straight to the capital.

The capital of Shuo State is completely different from the prosperous and beautiful capital of Jin State.

The iron-gray city walls stood tall, and the road surface paved with black-brown stone slabs was covered with potholes. After years of suffocation, the potholes in the broken stone slabs seemed to emit a cold metallic light in the sunlight.

The two black iron city gates were wide open. The soldiers guarding the city looked tired, and the black iron chain mail on their bodies shone coldly in the sunlight, making their eyes look even dimmer.

The checkerboard-like streets and alleys in the capital are straight and neat, but they look a bit cold and hard, as if they lack human touch.

On both sides of the road are courtyard walls and houses built with square stones, extending into the distance. In the distance, you can vaguely see a tall black shadow standing there, spewing out black smoke and rushing straight into the sky.

Arriving in the capital, Zhu Yu felt much more familiar with the place.

She put on a veil before entering the city, and after entering the city, she paid attention to everything around her through the semi-transparent black gauze of the veil.

She found that the iron shops in the capital were still lined up one after another. Whenever a carriage drove past quickly on the stone slabs, the sickles and hoes hanging on the door curtains would jingle, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of iron and coke.

Everything was exactly as it had been when she got married and left. This was the original appearance of the Shuo Kingdom, completely different from the towns outside the capital. Considering all this in her mind, she led the other four people straight to the Shuo Palace.

When they arrived at the door, Zhu Yu nodded to Yan Daoxin, and Yan Daoxin went forward and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened. The doorman of Prince Shuo's Mansion stuck his head out and saw that the person knocking on the door was a Taoist priest. He was stunned for a moment, and then he saw that there were four companions behind the man, and he was even more surprised.

"You are... where did this Taoist beggar come from?" The doorman looked Yan Daoxin up and down. Although he saw that Yan Daoxin had an extraordinary appearance and looked like an immortal, he changed his mind and realized that his master hated the supernatural the most and did not like monks or Taoists at all. So he did not bother to be polite with Yan Daoxin and waved his hand, "Let's go, let's go and get some food somewhere else and then go wherever we need to go!"

Shuo Country is not a place where you can get away with anything, especially not coming to the palace. Our prince hates these things the most."

Yan Daoxin stood at the door, unmoved, his expression indifferent yet tinged with arrogance. "Please report to your Prince Zhu that Taoist Yan Daoxin from Shanqing Temple is passing by and is here to visit."

"You Taoist priest, why are you so stubborn?" The concierge frowned. "I've already told you that no matter where you come from or what kind of Taoist priest you are, my prince doesn't like it. Why are you making yourself uncomfortable?"

"Just go and report it. It's up to your prince whether to see him or not. If he asks you to kick me out, I have nothing to say." Yan Daoxin ignored the doorman's urging.

The concierge didn't expect the Taoist priest to be so stubborn. He had no choice but to nod and agree reluctantly: "Okay, okay, okay, then you wait here."

As he said this, he retracted his head and closed the thick door again.

Yan Daoxin waited at the doorway for a while, acting like a proper person. When he was sure the person inside had left, he took a few steps back to Zhu Yu. He tilted his head and muttered softly, "Could it be that your doorman gave his word but didn't actually ask your father, leaving us hanging here?"

"No." Zhu Yu shook his head. "The gatekeeper of Prince Shuo's Mansion is an honest man, a bit naive. My father always thought he wasn't smart enough, but since he was reliable, he put up with it.

So he didn't have any ulterior motives. He agreed to help report, so he definitely went."

After hearing her words, Yan Daoxin felt a little relieved and continued to wait patiently.

Inside the palace, the doorman reported to the steward that there was a Taoist priest outside who wanted to see the prince.

When the steward heard that the other party seemed to be of some importance, he did not dare to make a decision for Zhu Cheng rashly. He was also afraid that a few Taoists standing at the door would be seen by others and cause criticism, which would also make the prince unhappy. So he hurried to report the news. When he ran to the backyard, he found Zhu Cheng who had just taken a nap.

"Your Highness..." the steward spoke cautiously to Zhu Cheng. It was said that the Prince had spent the night in the Armory the previous night and had only just gone to bed this morning after breakfast. He had just gotten up, and no one knew what his mood was. "There are five Taoists outside the palace who say they want to see you..."

Zhu Cheng was a little confused when he saw the doorman running towards him. But when he heard him say that a Taoist priest wanted to see him, he immediately frowned and waved his hand impatiently: "Are you confused today? When have I ever paid attention to Taoist priests? Why do they want to see me? Just chase them away!"

　Thanks to 573602869 and 汪偻danni for the monthly tickets!
　　I'll update more tomorrow with monthly tickets~
　　(End of this chapter)