Twenty-first merchant of Shanxi Province

  Following Zhu Ciyan out, Li Gong couldn't help but be curious.

  This young master is really beyond expectation, coming out of the palace so quietly, but for what reason is unknown?

  However, he was quite aware of the pros and cons, and outside the door, he didn't make a sound, not even bothering to lead his horse, but took advantage of the night color to tie the hem of his long shirt around his waist and followed behind Zhu Ciyan and others, making himself less conspicuous.

  The east of Xuanwu Gate is different from other major cities in Beijing, the streets are wide and clean, with trees along the road. Although there are many shops, restaurants and vendors along the way, they all exude a quiet and elegant atmosphere.

  After all, it is the place where scholars and officials gather, although not as rich and prosperous as the central city boundary where the royal relatives gather, but the material beauty and heavenly treasures reveal a kind of unspeakable noble atmosphere.

  A group of people wearing ordinary clothes walked slowly and leisurely in this neighborhood.

  Before long, they arrived at the gate of a large mansion.

  Just across the street, you can feel the grandeur of that mansion, which is not comparable to ordinary families. Under the horse-tying stone and the pendant lamp, there are densely packed mules and sedan chairs, and the long-class sedan bearers squat in front of the door on the street, leaning against the wall root chatting and telling jokes to relieve boredom, selling snacks, carrying wonton stalls back and forth to rush for business, tired with big sweat still very excited, constantly shouting for sale... Even from a distance, it is bustling with people's voices, extremely lively.

  As we drew closer, the main gate with five battlements and seven arches swung open wide. Two rows of dozens of lanterns shone brightly, illuminating the entire entrance area in a dazzling display. The three-tiered stone steps were as high as a five- or six-story building. Carriages and sedan chairs came and went without cease, each accompanied by attendants carrying large red and gold invitation cards. They would hurry up the steps with reverence, announcing their arrival at the top of their lungs. On the gate, dozens of people stood on duty, waiting to receive visitors. As soon as someone approached, they would rush over to take the card and then dash inside to report.

  They come and go, shuttling back and forth without stopping, inviting the guests their master wants to see into the house. Because they are well-trained, although busy, they are not chaotic; even with many people arriving, the scene in front of the door is still neat and orderly.

  Li Gong couldn't help but be shocked and thought: "Whose mansion is this? How can it be so luxurious and lively?"

  This place is not far from Li Gong's residence, but I don't know how to get into this household, the layout and style are vastly different from those of civil officials. Civil officials are introverted by nature, even if they are a high-ranking official, they do not have such an imposing aura.

  The crowd didn't say a word, but just followed Zhu Ciyan as he walked.

  Li Gong wanted to ask something, but Wang Yuan just shook his head beside him.

  The crowd, however, did not pass through the main gate, but instead turned directly north from the alley entrance and went around to the back of the mansion. Along the way, every ten steps or so, there was a tall lamp post shining brightly, and in the alleys, too, there were people coming and going incessantly, eight or nine out of ten being short-haired men with leather belts around their waists; occasionally, there would be someone wearing a square scarf and a mandarin collar, looking like a steward or a butler, hurrying by with an air of importance.

  Li Gong was also amazed: Whose family is this, and how can they have such a prosperous scene?

  The great families of the Qing dynasty are now all old and declining, where can they still find such vigorous and upward momentum, and where can they find these capable and elegant housekeepers?

  It's just that the newly prosperous Zhou and Tian families, imperial relatives, have servants who are also quite skilled at bullying men and women, but when it comes to doing real work, they can't even handle two proper tasks, so let's not mention it.

  The authenticity of the Beijing Zhongda family, Li Gong and other hereditary military officers in Beijing naturally knew it clearly. When he mentioned that year, his family was still the general of the old Jing Tai year's far uncle's house. At this time, I don't know when, where did the capital come from? This kind of atmosphere is a complete overbearing aristocratic family!

  ……

  ……

  After walking for about half a mile, they finally reached the back of the mansion. There was a huge courtyard here, and as soon as they entered through the front gate, they saw rows upon rows of green-tiled houses, all brightly lit up. The buildings were majestic and imposing, with over a hundred rooms in total. The courtyard was still bustling with people coming and going. It wasn't until now that Li Gong finally understood - this must be where things were stored.

  As for those who served in the inner court like him, they had also seen what the Grand Secretariat's Cross-shaped Library looked like. Although the scale of this place was somewhat inferior to that, the bustling and prosperous scene here was even more magnificent than the library in the inner court.

  "All of you, come to the armory!"

  Just as everyone was coming in, still hesitating, a middle-aged man with a green robe and a big hat, who looked like an official, ran over, took a few glances, and said: "Old Fan's new recruits are not bad... Hurry up, the A warehouse is short of hands, hurry!"

  "Good luck!"

  Zhu Ci'e responded with a loud and crisp voice, then gave everyone a wink, and followed the executive towards the east side of the Jiazi warehouse.

  This armoury was originally a granary, but now everyone takes a deep breath.

  These hundreds of warehouses, I'm afraid more than half are filled with grain, each package is just a full stone of fine grain. Dozens of men are carrying sacks of grain from the warehouse to the outside, occasionally some fall to the ground, and for the time being no one takes care of them, they just step on the fine rice on the ground and walk away, it's a pity, but can't be helped.

  "What are you still dawdling for, hurry up! Carry three loads and get one tael of silver... You bunch of bumpkins, probably in this lifetime you've never earned so much money!"

  The usual price for porters in the capital is not as high as this, now the price is several times higher than the market price, no wonder those strong and vigorous porters are walking with big strides, raising dust and wind, exerting extra strength.

  "The master is really generous, let's just hurry up and finish." Zhu Ciwen pulled down his hat to avoid showing his face, answering while putting a bag of grain on his shoulder.

  The official first heard his voice and was worried that he was too young, and his body wasn't very robust. But when he saw Zhu Ciyan carrying a bundle on his shoulder, walking out with a carefree and relaxed stride, the official was taken aback and muttered: "This guy looks weak, but has such great strength!"

  The crown prince moved first, what else could anyone say? At this time, the crowd of military officers rushed forward, each carrying a bundle on their shoulders, and marched out in big strides.

  They were, after all, proper hereditary military officers, with exceptional martial skills, and they had no trouble carrying the heavy load. With large strides, they led the way out of the warehouse, this time exiting through the west gate. Following the flow of people, they walked quickly past, and when they reached the entrance, it was brightly lit, with mules braying and horses neighing. At a glance, there were dozens of large carts waiting, each one full, and as soon as one left, another came forward. Many attendants and stewards shouted loudly, directing the carters and grooms to come and go, so despite the commotion, they were not chaotic.

  Zhu Ci and others each took over a dozen bamboo tally sticks, and the car team outside was finally full. Dozens of cars followed one after another, slowly leaving.

  "Can we still leave the city at this hour?"

  Zhu Ciyan was sweating profusely, with a lot of dust on his face. He blended in with the group of laborers, wiping away sweat and drinking water. Judging by his appearance, he looked like an ordinary young man who had come out to work hard and earn a living, without any hint of the nobility of a crown prince.

  Everyone present burst out laughing, and even a young servant couldn't help but smile. After a brief moment of silence, a man in his fifties finally spoke up: "Is this young fellow visiting here for the first time?"

  "Yes, sir," Zhu Ci said very obediently: "So I want to ask around, it's not easy to get a job here, and I still want to work regularly."

  "This young man is quite clever, so I'll say a few more words." The old man praised him and smiled again: "Let me teach you a trick: when our master wants to leave the city, he can leave at any time, who cares about whether the city gate is closed or not?"

  "Unbelievable!" Zhu Ci'e clicked his tongue: "Is there anything else that needs to be done recently?"

  "This time after finishing, we need to take a break for a while. Food, cloth, and medicine are the main items, and there are some smaller goods that are all handled by the people in the mansion, outsiders can't interfere. However, after a while, there will be work moving bean supplies outside the city, if you're not afraid of hard work, you can follow along then."

  "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

  "Our boss, in the capital is just a transit point, I've been to Zhangjiakou border, that's where the real big business is! The grain transported from Beijing and Shanxi, it's like mountains and seas, the goods coming in, what a treasure! A whole train of top-grade fur, you won't see that many in your lifetime, and fist-sized pearls, baskets full of them, and good horses, mules, cattle and sheep..."

  "You're really getting into it now, aren't you? If you keep running your mouth like that, you'd better watch out or you might just lose your job."

  At first, the old man said that the attendant next to him also smiled and didn't speak, his face full of pride. It was clear that the master's wealth and power also made the attendant feel proud. Later, as the old man spoke more and more, he became more and more detailed, so he scolded: "If you continue to talk, I will slap your mouth twenty times and drive you out."

  "No, no!" Old Duan hastily got up and bowed his head, smiling apologetically: "This old man has spoken too much, won't dare again."

  "Alright, you guys take a break again. Later, go to the warehouse to transport fabric. Tonight, we still need to send out twenty more carts to finish the task."

  "Alright, got it!"

  It wasn't until now that Li Gong realized that the people living in this place were not some noble family, but rather a humble merchant. Just now, from the front gate, there was such an imposing and majestic atmosphere, which even the aristocratic families couldn't match. How much wealth must this merchant have to attract those corrupt officials to come and pay their respects? And how did he manage to build such a vast network of influence that allowed him to enter and exit the city gates at will at night?

  "This is the renowned Shanxi Fan family, the leader of the Jin merchants, with a huge fortune, and people say they have five hundred golden arhats." Standing in the crowd, Zhu Ciwen looked at the people coming and going, transporting goods, and whispered to his trusted followers: "These tens of thousands of stones of grain, cloth, and medicinal herbs, do you think they are all being transported to which place?"

  "Let me tell you." He smiled slightly and continued: "First go to Zhangjiakou, where the foreign businessmen will take over, then head east."

  "What did Young Master say?" Li Gong's whole body shook, and he looked at Zhu Ciyan with disbelieving eyes, saying only: "Is it to send him out of the pass?"

  "That's right." Zhu Ciyan nodded, gritting his teeth: "Those damned bastards, they sold the Great Ming and our ancestors for a good price... The things in front of us are goods from the mouth of the outer pass, resold to the Eastern Barbarians!"