Chapter 7: Investigating Food

  What's wrong with the food?

  I don't have the slightest impression!

  However, even if this was a person who had left his name in history books, Liu Han may not necessarily have an impression. After all, for many people, the stories of this era are relatively cold and distant. If it were the Three Kingdoms or Water Margin, Liu Han would definitely be able to recite a large number of names.

  Shen Yue looks extraordinary, if placed in a later era, she would be considered a standard pretty girl with a refined and elegant appearance.

  Liu Kan remained vigilant.

  In this Pei County, the mother and son can be said to be two eyes and one wipe of black, who don't know each other. Although Liu Yan is the young master of the inn, he knows people but not their hearts, so he doesn't dare to take it lightly. Not to mention being the young master of the inn, even if it's Lv Lian and the others, they still need to be careful.

  Sensing Liu Quan's hostility, Xun Yu looked as if he didn't care at all.

  He smiled slightly, lifted his robe and sat down on the corridor under the eaves of the house, raised his head to look at the round moon in the sky, as if a comfortable sigh.

  Liu Jian also sat down, staring vigilantly at his opponent.

  A moment later, Shi Yu suddenly said: "You are Liu Yan, aren't you?"

  "What's wrong?"

  He looked you up and down several times, "I know you, and you're quite extraordinary. Someone asked me to keep an eye on you in secret."

  "Huh?"

  "This morning, a distant cousin of mine found me. He said that there is someone very strange and will soon come to Pei County to settle down, named Liu Kan. He gave me a bag of ants' noses, about three or four hundred in number, and asked me to observe this guy carefully."

  Liu Kan's heart skipped a beat as he tensely stared at Shen Shi, unconsciously clenching his fists.

  Although he still can't fully control his body, Liu Jian has confidence that as long as this guy makes a slight move, he can instantly subdue him.

  He looked at him and said, "I was thinking about how to get close to you... Hehe, I didn't expect you to move into my house. From the moment you walked in, I've been observing you. However, I couldn't see anything wrong with you, nor do I know what that cousin of mine meant by 'strange'. But I'm a person who doesn't like to stir up trouble, so I came over to ask you, what have you done?"

  Liu Kan said: "And what about your cousin?"

  "Hehe, that's a relative of three generations or more, and nowadays they rarely move around. To be honest, if he hadn't come to me himself, I would have almost forgotten that there was such a relative... He lives in Liu County, following a certain Fangshi who cultivates his skills on Mount Fuchu, as for the rest, I'm not too clear."

  Shen Yu's smile as he looked at Liu Jian was exceptionally clear and bright.

  Liu Jian could see the sincerity in Shi's words from his eyes.

  Who is Fuchu Gong?

  Haven't you ever heard of it?... So I couldn't help but ask: "Xun brother..."

  "Oh, I don't have the surname Shen alone, it's a compound surname Shen Shi!"

  What a strange surname, I don't know if there is such a surname in the hundred surnames. However, Liu Kan felt quite embarrassed.

  "Brother Shénshí, you're telling me this, aren't you afraid of becoming fat from eating your words?"

  Shan said with a strange smile, "How could I possibly get fat from eating my words? Look, now that we've met, I can openly observe you in the future. Even if you can hide it, after a long time, you'll inevitably reveal your flaws. Isn't this more convenient than me sneaking around?"

  Liu Kan's mouth was stuck and he couldn't speak.

  The monitor, able to monitor so openly and justly, without arousing any resentment.

  Liu Quan really didn't know how to evaluate this food critic. To say he was foolish, yet he could do something that seemed very difficult in Liu Quan's eyes with ease and integrity, without leaving any room for criticism; to say he wasn't foolish, yet he actually said such a thing in front of the person being monitored.

  The thinking way of this ancient person really made Liu unable to understand.

  He could only smile wryly and nod his head, "Since you've said so, Brother Shen, I'll leave it to you."

  "Little brother, how did you offend Lord Fuchu?"

  "If only I had known!"

  Liu Kan let out a bitter laugh, leaned against a pillar and fell into deep thought. He had thought he had already fooled everyone, but unexpectedly someone else saw through his tricks. It seems that from now on, he must be more careful in his actions, never revealing his true intentions, lest he arouse suspicion.

  "Excuse me, brother, my mother and I have just arrived in this noble land, and many things are unclear to us. Before asking for guidance, what should we pay attention to when living in Pei County?"

  After thinking for a moment, he replied: "This place in Pei is actually not that complicated. Whether it's Qi or Chu, in fact, no one has ever really considered this as their own territory. Otherwise, Pei wouldn't have been without a functioning government office until now, and it can't even compare to the neighboring Liu County. But this is also good, there are fewer rules, and everyone lives more freely and comfortably, with less restraint."

  My father has traveled many places, especially in Qin State where etiquette is most prominent.

  Now that the King of Qin has swept away the six states, the situation of unifying the world is irreversible. Next, it depends on how the King of Qin will divide the land... As for which territory Pei belongs to at that time, it is not yet certain. However, as I see it, no matter how one lives, there is not much difference."

  Isn't there much difference?

  Liu Kan was quite displeased in his heart.

  I'm afraid this difference will be much bigger.

  What are the specific achievements of the First Emperor? Liu Jian can't remember them very clearly. However, several important achievements have been firmly etched in his mind. Firstly, after the First Emperor unified the six states, he abolished the feudal system and adopted a centralized power structure.

  That is to say, the sealed country he spoke of will never appear.

  This place has been unmanaged for many years, but that doesn't mean it will remain so in the future. I'm afraid it won't be long before officials arrive.

  Secondly, Emperor Qin unified the characters and standardized the gauge of carts.

  Thirdly, Emperor Qin unified the currency...

  Slow down, unified currency?

  Liu Jian suddenly had an idea and asked Xun Shi: "Brother Xun, can we use Qin currency in Pei?"

  Shan looked at him in surprise and replied, "Of course, it's possible. However, the Qin currency is of low value, and goods that can be bought with one knife of cloth would require at least twenty Qin coins. Nowadays, except in the land of Qin, the Qin currency is not worth much anywhere else. Little brother, do you happen to have Qin currency on you?"

  Liu Kan didn't answer, his brain started spinning rapidly.

  According to Xunzi's statement, during the Warring States period, there were exchange rates between different currencies, just like the exchange rate between RMB and foreign currency in later generations.

  The currency of later generations is judged by the comprehensive strength of the issuing country.

  It's like the US dollar, after World War II, with the rise of the United States, the exchange rate of the US dollar against other currencies has been rising steadily. The situation in Qin is similar. Now that the six nations have perished, Emperor Shi Huang's unification of currency is inevitable. Therefore, the value of Qin currency will also skyrocket.

  "Brother, one knife cloth, how many Qin coins can be exchanged for it?"

  "Hmm, it's almost enough to exchange for eighteen Qin coins."

  "What's with your nose?"

  "Ant noses are quite valuable, on the market one ant nose can be exchanged for twenty-seven Qin coins...... Young brother, why do you ask this?"

  Liu Jian's calculations were swift and rapid.

  Although it is unclear how Qin Shi Huang unified the currency, there must be a loophole to exploit. This is an adventure, of course... Liu Kuan can guarantee that he won't lose money, but he has to act fast and exchange his currency for Qin currency as soon as possible.

  Otherwise, whether it's a knife or a cloth, or an ant's nose, there will definitely be devaluation.

  "Brother Shànshí, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

  Liu Quan looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Is there something on your mind? If you'd like to talk about it, I'm all ears. If I can help in any way, I certainly will!"

  "Heh heh, I have knife cloths and ant noses in my hands, and I want to exchange them for Qin coins. Two thousand knife cloths will be exchanged at a ratio of one to fifteen; one thousand ant noses, one to twenty-four... However, I have a condition, which is to exchange them for Qin coins as soon as possible. I wonder if Brother Shen can help?"

  He felt inexplicably strange about eating it.

  What does this guy want to do? He's actually willing to sell at a loss for Qin coins?

  "Little brother, this thing isn't too difficult. I just want to remind you of one thing, the people of Pudu Chu, if you use Qin currency, I'm afraid not many people will be willing to sell things to you. Even if they are willing to sell to you, the price will be outrageously high, so think carefully before doing it."

  Liu Kan smiled and said: "I've thought it through clearly, so I've decided!"

  In his heart, he was muttering: Emperor Qin Shi Huang, you must come and make a macro-control move, otherwise I will be finished.

  "Since you've already made up your mind, little brother, I can now make the exchange with you. Two thousand blades of grass can be exchanged for thirty thousand Qin coins, and one thousand ant noses can be exchanged for twenty-four thousand Qin coins. I'll give you a whole number, a total of fifty-five thousand Qin coins. What do you think?"

  “Deal！”

  "Huh?"

  Liu Kan smiled and said: "Nothing, I mean we'll settle it like this. As soon as the sky brightens, I'll go find my mother to get some money and exchange it with you."

  Xun Shi scratched his head, unable to figure out what Liu Yan really wanted to do.

  "It's getting late, I'm going back to sleep!"

  Liu Kan stood up with a smile, stretched his waist and said, "However, I'll make it clear first, my mother and I plan to stay here for a few days. Food and lodging are all on you!"

  "What right?"

  "Isn't this convenient for you to observe me up close? This way, you can also explain to your relatives and don't need to rack your brains to find excuses to get close to me. I'm doing you a favor, a fair exchange, I stay here with you for free for some days, isn't that reasonable?"

  "This..."

  He eats his food and then is speechless with an inarticulate mouth.

  Liu Kan's words also made sense, but he always felt that there was something wrong with this. By the time he came to his senses, Liu Kan had already gone back to his room to rest. Shan Shi stood stupidly at the bottom of the stairs, and after a while, he suddenly smiled and lightly clapped his hands.

  "This guy is really interesting!"

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  Note: In the previous text, the following words appeared with their pronunciations: Lü Jiāo (xu, flat tone), Niè (nie, fourth tone), Sāng (now Jiangsu Pei County southwest), and Kàn ào (ao).

  In the following text, if there are any uncommon characters, Xiaoxin will annotate them with pinyin.