#233 - Why are so many people going to Shuzhou?
Half an hour later.
Just as Lu Jingyao and Qiu Yun took advantage of the night to appear in Qingyu Lane, nervously and uneasily rushing to a镖局 (security company) in the city, Wei Changtian and his party had already secretly left the territory of Shuzhou.
Shuzhou is not too far from Jizhou, but it is not too close either, with three states in between, about four to five thousand miles away.
However, this time they were not out for sightseeing, so the speed must be faster. If there are no accidents, they should be able to reach Jizhou City in about three days.
".Young Master, after Xu Shixing's death, the person in charge of the Xu family now is his widow, Wei Yanyu."
“This is her portrait.”
In the carriage, Chu Xianping handed over a piece of paper with a portrait of a beautiful woman, and continued to introduce:
“The Wei family, like the Xu family, is also a well-known wealthy merchant in Jizhou. The family mainly deals in weapons, and a member of the clan once held the official position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and 章京 (a high-ranking title) of the Grand Council.”
Like most dynasties in ancient times, Da Ning implemented a “differentiated weapon management system”.
Civilians can forge and hold some types of weapons, but some powerful weapons, such as crossbows, are strictly controlled and can only be equipped by government law enforcement agencies and the military.
“Okay.”
After taking the portrait, Wei Changtian glanced at it casually and remembered the appearance of the woman in the painting.
“Have we notified the Xu family about our trip to Jizhou?”
“Naturally.”
Chu Xianping nodded: “The Wei family already knows about this and has sent people to wait at the border of Jizhou.”
“Good.”
Wei Changtian paused for a moment, pulled open the car curtain, and looked back at another carriage that was following closely behind.
The black carriage was almost integrated with the night, with only a touch of snow white on the head of the horse pulling the carriage.
“Brother Chu, Grandpa, I have something to tell you.”
He retracted his gaze and lowered his voice.
“You Jia, was originally Ning Yongnian's man.”
Beijing, Wantong镖局 (security company).
Unlike other shops,镖局 (security company) and brothels should be the only two “service industries” in ancient times that were “open 24 hours”.
After all, many of the goods entrusted for transportation involve some secrets that people don't want others to know, so they often send the goods in the middle of the night.
And the more turbulent the situation is, the more this happens.
“This manager can rest assured that your goods can leave the city tomorrow and will definitely be delivered to Peizhou within ten days.”
Behind the flickering candlelight, the white-haired old man smiled and sent away a man who looked like an official. Just as he was about to take a break, he saw two women wrapped tightly walking in from outside the door.
Although both of them were wearing thick cloaks and veils on their faces, the old man, who had seen countless people, instantly guessed their identities.
One should be a young lady from a wealthy family, and the other is probably a maid or something.
“Two girls, do you have goods to be sent elsewhere?”
“...”
Lu Jingyao tightened her cloak and lowered her voice to answer: “We want to go to Shuzhou. I wonder if your镖局 (security company) can send us there.”
“Of course.”
The old man smiled, not surprised by this request.
镖局 (security company) originally could deliver goods and people. As long as enough money was given, let alone two women, they could send a dog.
“It takes about ten days to go from Beijing to Shuzhou. I wonder when the two girls plan to leave?”
“...”
The old man narrowed his eyes slightly and took a deep look at Lu Jingyao.
Obviously, his previous guess was correct.
Not even understanding the principle of “not revealing wealth”, these two women must be a pair of master and servant from those wealthy merchants.
Although he didn't know which family they were from, doing business was for making money, and he was too lazy to care about that.
“Hehe, if that's the case, then I'll arrange it for the two girls. If nothing unexpected happens, we can still leave the city before curfew.”
“However, the current situation is turbulent, and the two of you are in a hurry, so the镖费 (transportation fee) will naturally be higher than usual.”
Lu Jingyao asked, “How much?”
“Fifty taels.”
The old man gave a number that was several times higher than usual with a fake smile: “As long as the girl can afford it, I can guarantee that the two of you can set off tonight.”
Fifty taels is at least two or three years' income for ordinary people, but for Lu Jingyao, it is almost the same as fifty 文 (small denomination of money).
“Pa!”
A bag of silver coins was thrown on the counter, exactly fifty taels.
Using silver coins instead of silver ingots shows that Lu Jingyao is not too stupid.
But in fact, even if she didn't do this, it wouldn't matter.
The most important thing in the镖局 (security company) industry is reputation, especially for large镖局 (security company) like “Wantong”, they wouldn't do anything like “killing people for their money”.
“Okay, two girls, please go to the side room to drink tea and rest for a while. I will arrange the carriage and accompanying镖师 (bodyguard).”
Weighing the money bag, the old man's face was full of smiles.
He was just about to order someone to take Lu Jingyao and Qiu Yun to the quiet room to rest when a woman suddenly walked in from outside the door.
Compared to Lu Jingyao and the two who were wearing sable cloaks, this woman was dressed very thinly and plainly.
Cyan linen clothes, a cyan linen skirt, and a pair of somewhat worn cloth shoes on her feet, with her fair ankles exposed.
Such clothing would be fine in the hot summer, but it was a bit strange to put it in early March when the river ice had not yet melted.
“This girl.”
The old man ordered the clerk with his eyes to take Lu Jingyao and the two away first, and asked, “I wonder if you want to transport goods or travel far away?”
“Please, please, how much silver does it cost to go to Shuzhou by carriage?”
The woman said weakly, “I want to find my husband.”
Why are so many women going to Shuzhou today.
“Girl, the current situation is turbulent.”
The old man's expression was a little strange, he glanced at Lu Jingyao who had stopped, and repeated what he had just said.
“.If you leave tonight, it will cost twenty-five taels of silver. If you are willing to wait a few days, ten taels of silver will be enough.”
“Ten taels.”
The woman's expression was a little embarrassed, obviously she didn't have that much money.
She hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she didn't say anything, just nodded lightly to the old man and prepared to leave.
At this moment, Lu Jingyao, who had been standing not far away, suddenly stopped her.
“Girl, please wait!”
“Huh?”
The woman turned her head blankly and asked timidly, “This, this sister, what's the matter?”
“You just said you were going to Shuzhou to find your husband?”
“Yes, yes.”
“That's good.”
Lu Jingyao looked at Qiu Yun, who immediately walked to the high counter and took out another twenty-five taels of silver from the money bag.
“I'll pay for this girl's镖费 (transportation fee), just let her go with us.”
“Of course, no problem!”
Having earned another twenty-five taels, the old man hurriedly put away the silver and complimented repeatedly with joy: “Girl, you are really kind-hearted, you will definitely have good fortune in the future.”
“Please prepare the carriage quickly.”
Lu Jingyao replied indifferently, and then moved to the woman who was stunned in place, and asked softly:
“Girl, what's your name?”
“Ah?”
The woman came back to her senses and hurriedly replied gratefully:
“This, this sister, my name is Yun Lian.”
