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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hong and Chuxuan found a secluded spot outside Lin'an City, made some modifications, and then strolled leisurely into the city.
Li Hong was dressed in a plain white robe, wearing a black gauze hat, black shoes, and white socks, with only a dark silk ribbon tied around his waist. He looked clean and simple. Chuxuan was similar but wore a light blue robe. The two of them appeared completely ordinary, resembling scholars from the Mortal Realm. After examining each other and finding no flaws, they joined the bustling crowd entering through the city gate.
The further they walked into Luocheng, the livelier it became.
Today seemed to be a special day, as the streets were filled with people. Young women and married ladies were out and about, with ox carts and donkeys everywhere, colorful garments swaying in the breeze. The strong scent of perfumes made Li Hong sneeze repeatedly; he couldn't stand the overwhelming smell of cosmetics. Servant girls with baskets were constantly going in and out of shops, everyone carrying large bundles of goods and wearing genuine smiles on their faces. Occasionally, a few ragged beggars squatted by the roadside, and people would stop in front of them to toss a few coins. Not far ahead, they saw a beggar counting copper coins at the street corner—a large handful that seemed quite substantial. Passersby offered friendly smiles as they tossed more coins at his feet. The beggar gratefully picked them up with a smile, continuing to count his money cheerfully.
Seeing this, Li Hong smiled as well; even beggars had food to eat. Emperor Zhao Gou was doing reasonably well; at least compared to their last visit to Lin'an, life seemed much better for the common people. It appeared that conditions in Jiangnan were gradually improving.
Chuxuan thought for a moment and stopped a passerby to ask, "Excuse me, sir. Do you know what day it is today? Why is it so lively in the city?"
The old man looked at Chuxuan as if he were an oddity and replied in surprise, "Young man, you don't know? Today is the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month; the day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve! Every household is busy preparing for the New Year!"
It's New Year! Li Hong and Chuxuan exchanged glances and both smiled wryly. In their pursuit of immortality and fighting against the Demon Sect, they had completely forgotten such an important day in the Mortal Realm. However, thinking of General Yue Fei made them feel even more melancholic. This general was still on the front lines gathering intelligence deep behind enemy lines; he probably wouldn't make it back to celebrate New Year's Eve with his family either—no wonder he hadn't mentioned it.
The old man rubbed his red nose from the cold and said, "Strange indeed; you two must be merchants from Nanyang? It's freezing out here, yet you're dressed so lightly. This isn't Nanyang; don't catch a cold! There's a clothing shop just ahead—an old establishment that moved here from Bianjing—look for that black sign with golden letters. Go buy yourselves some padded jackets. Mention my name, Du Lao, and you'll get a discount."
The old man clasped his hands in farewell and continued on his way, muttering to himself about how strange these two young men were—handsome yet not afraid of the cold.
Li Hong and Chuxuan exchanged another wry smile; they thought they had blended in well but hadn’t realized that even an ordinary old man could see through their disguise. They had forgotten that it was winter in the Mortal Realm; who would dress so lightly?
"Should we change our appearance?" Chuxuan asked Li Hong, though his eyes clearly showed eagerness.
Li Hong understood what he meant and laughed, saying, "Do you want to transform into a noble young master or return to your original self? No way; I don't want to pretend to be your servant. Let's just buy some fur coats to wear over our clothes!"
The two entered the clothing shop, chose black fox fur coats—one for each—and after looking at each other again felt less conspicuous than before.
The shopkeeper smiled cheerfully, "These are high-quality goods we brought from the Central Plains before we moved here. You two have a good eye! Each piece is two hundred taels of silver, so for two pieces, it would be four hundred taels. Considering that Du Lao recommended you, I'll give you a special price of three hundred ninety-five taels. We only accept cash, no paper money. You must not have any money on you, so let me accompany you to the inn to get it. You can wear them in the meantime."
Li Hong, however, had money with him. This time he came out, Spirit Stone casually threw him a large amount of gold as expenses, which was currently resting comfortably in his Cosmic Bag.
He chuckled, "Do you accept gold?"
The shopkeeper's eyes immediately lit up, and he laughed, "Of course we do, but..." He hesitated as he looked at Li Hong's thin clothing, unable to figure out where he kept his money.
Li Hong feigned mystery and said, "Please take me to a private changing room; I have my own way to pay you."
The shopkeeper thought he understood. He looked at Li Hong's loose-fitting clothes and realized that this customer might truly be wealthy!
Li Hong walked into the changing room and closed the door. He quickly pulled out a handful of heavy gold leaves from his Cosmic Bag, estimating that they should be worth around four hundred taels of silver. He held them in his hands and opened the door.
The shopkeeper was waiting outside and immediately saw the golden leaves. His waist bent even lower as he smiled obsequiously and ushered Li Hong outside. He hurriedly instructed his assistant to fetch the scales and weights to weigh the handful of gold leaves.
Upon weighing, it turned out that the gold leaves weighed over fifty taels. The shopkeeper carefully measured out twenty-six taels and cautiously handed the remaining leaves back to Li Hong, saying, "Please keep this safe; be careful not to attract any thieves."
Li Hong scratched his head and glanced at Chuxuan.
Chuxuan transmitted a message: "No need to say; the price of gold has definitely risen again." He then asked the shopkeeper, "How much silver does one tael of gold exchange for now?"
"Oh dear! So you didn't know the current gold price! Luckily we are Fair and Square, an old brand in Bianjing; otherwise, you might have been cheated! Right now, one tael of silver exchanges for two guan, but one tael of gold is worth fifteen taels of silver—thirty guan! These two fox fur coats priced at three hundred ninety-five taels of silver would convert to twenty-six taels and three qian in gold. I assure you I measured accurately; I would never cheat a customer!" The shopkeeper clicked his tongue in admiration but felt a bit regretful; had he known they were just two young lambs, he should have charged a bit more. However, that thought quickly vanished. He could see that despite their youth, these two customers had an extraordinary demeanor and were clearly people of significance.
With calculations running through his mind, his smile became even more sincere.
Li Hong had no idea what he was thinking; he genuinely sighed inwardly. Indeed, Fair and Square was a well-established brand in Bianjing. He casually pointed out several brocade robes and asked him to wrap them up as a way to further support his business.
The shopkeeper smiled with squinted eyes, personally seeing the two out before he sighed and returned inside. As he walked into the shop, he noticed the back door curtain being lifted, and the master slowly walked out with his hands behind his back.
This was a middle-aged man, around forty years old, dressed in a brown and gold brocade robe. He wore a valuable Azure Wind Jade belt, but his appearance was ordinary, with a round face and a friendly demeanor.
The shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat; this shop had indeed moved from Bianjing, but it had long changed ownership. The man before him was the current chief steward of the cabinet, closely associated with the powerful Qin Prime Minister. Though he appeared amiable, he was someone who could stand on equal footing with the Sovereign, possessing considerable insight.
The old shopkeeper quickly bowed and asked, "When did you arrive, sir?"
"What is the background of those two people?"
The old shopkeeper thought for a moment and replied, "They sound like they are from the Central Plains, generous in their spending. Other petty folks wouldn't dare to inquire further."
"Mm." The chief steward of Qin Prime Minister responded noncommittally. Two burly men stepped out from behind him and quickly chased after the two who had just left.
"From now on, do not only focus on copper coins; you must also be more observant," the chief steward advised lightly before exiting the shop and heading to a carriage at the street corner.
Horses were now rare and valuable commodities. Passersby quietly pointed at the large character "Qin" on the carriage, whispering, "Look, it's someone from Lord Qin's manor..."
The old shopkeeper watched as the carriage drove away, feeling inexplicably relieved as he let out a soft sigh.
Li Hong casually slung a package over his shoulder and said to Chuxuan, "Let's go! To the inn!" Not long after they started walking, he noticed they were being followed. He communicated to Chuxuan through thought, "We have a tail!"
"Oh?" Chuxuan became alert as well. The two pretended to browse at a sewing shop by the street while Li Hong used his Divine Consciousness to probe behind them.
There were two burly men following them; however, they were just ordinary mortals and not from the Cultivation World.
Since they were mere mortals, Li Hong didn't take them seriously. However, their mission in Lin'an made having tails undesirable. He exchanged glances with Chuxuan, and they turned into a secluded alleyway.
Two burly men peeked around the corner, only to find the alley stretching straight ahead, revealing nothing but emptiness. The two men vanished without a trace!
Scratching their heads in confusion, they were baffled; they had clearly seen them enter the alley! Looking around, they found no sign of them and could only return dejectedly to report back.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed by those they were tracking.
Li Hong and Chuxuan watched as the two men entered a large estate through the back door and decided to circle around to the front to see whose residence it was. The estate was vast, with over twenty courtyards and countless pavilions, including the Vermilion Pavilion. By the time they reached the front door, Li Hong already had a good idea.
The main entrance was tightly shut, and a line of officials stood at the side entrance, presenting their name cards.
Chuxuan whispered, "It must be the private residence of some high-ranking official from the court."
Li Hong gazed thoughtfully at the plaque above the door. It was obscured by a piece of golden brocade embroidered with dragon patterns, making it impossible for ordinary people to see what was written on it. However, Li Hong was no ordinary person; he quickly discerned that the plaque read "Family of Poetry and Propriety." The characters themselves were not unusual, but being covered meant that this plaque bore the emperor's own calligraphy.
He overheard whispers from those waiting to see the officials: "Lord Qin went to the palace today; he probably won't be back until after the hour of Shen."
"Let's submit our requests first and wait for Lord Qin to come down for our turn."
Lord Qin? There were currently two Lords Qin in this dynasty, one on the left and one on the right: Left Chancellor Zhao Ding and Right Chancellor Qin Hui. Which residence was this—Left Chancellor's or Right Chancellor's?
Just then, someone shouted, "Prime Minister Qin has returned!"
Li Hong and Chuxuan exchanged glances; it turned out to be Qin Hui! He was the traitor spoken of by Yue Fei and a staunch member of the pro-peace faction.
"Silence! Clear the way!" The sound of gongs echoed from afar as guards holding black and red staffs surrounded a grand green velvet sedan chair being carried by eight bearers, moving swiftly toward them.
The atmosphere along the street shifted dramatically. The bearers brought by the officials had already knelt at the side of the street, bowing deeply to the ground. The waiting officials quickly lined up, their hands tucked into their sleeves as they bent deeply at their waists.
Only two people stood tall and motionless at the scene. Many noticed them, casting curious or warning glances toward Li Hong and Chuxuan.
Li Hong remained steadfast, not even bending at the waist. Chuxuan, needless to say, coldly glanced at the eight-bearer green silk sedan chair before him and said to Li Hong, "Let's go."
The two left gracefully amidst many astonished gazes, their ethereal figures disappearing around the street corner in an instant.
Qin Hui, inside the sedan chair, had already seen the appearance of the two and memorized it deeply. His eyebrows twitched as he secretly sneered, "Where did these two self-righteous scholars come from? It seems they will never pass the imperial examination in this lifetime!" He straightened his crown, assumed a composed expression, and restored the so-called demeanor of a prime minister as he leisurely stepped out of the sedan chair.
Immediately, flattering voices surrounded Qin Hui from all sides.
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