20demayo Chapter 2, Who says ancient people didn't have brains?
Chapter 2, Who says ancient people didn't have brains?
Business continued as usual. Lin Zhou was now using his connections to his advantage, so other merchants who wanted to bully him would have to think twice about the weight of this black leopard.
The cart full of odds and ends, from various small pieces of trash to hot instant noodles, was quickly swept away. Lin Zhou sat there and began to tally up his earnings for the day, planning to go to the shops on the street later to exchange them for some handicrafts or something.
Although he wasn't an expert, he had come to understand one thing after dealing with these things for so long: not everything you bring back can fetch a good price. It's indeed quite difficult to deal with antiques. Things from before the Song Dynasty can't be bought or sold, and most of the things he can access now aren't very valuable even in his own possession.
Last time, he got a batch of Chongning Tongbao coins in pretty good condition, but when he took them back, people saw that they were being sold by weight... Moreover, people have a lot to look at with ancient coins, and sometimes the things he painstakingly brought back would be mistaken for fakes because they lack the accumulation of time.
As for exchanging instant noodles for gold, forget about it. People aren't short of food, but if they bring something excessive, it will attract too much attention. I have no identity or travel permit, and even my accent is strange. If I'm mistaken for a spy, I'll be in trouble.
Just as he was about to pack up and leave, a hand suddenly pressed down on the front of his cart. Lin Zhou looked up and saw a young man wearing a black, arrow-sleeved undershirt with brown patterns on his shoulders standing there.
His heart skipped a beat. Having done business in Lin'an City these past few days, how could he not recognize this dog skin? This was the Song Dynasty's own "Jinyiwei," the Imperial City Guard, hailed as the most powerful intelligence agency in the world.
"Gentlemen, I've sold out here." Lin Zhou said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting. "If you want anything, just tell me, and I'll keep an eye on it when I restock tomorrow."
However, the leader remained unmoved. Although he was handsome, his eyes were cold and piercing, like those of a hawk.
"Gentlemen..." Lin Zhou bowed again, "I'm just a peddler, there's really nothing to make of me."
That's what he said, but he was actually ready to activate his ability and leave this world at any time. Anyway, if he really wanted to run away, these people wouldn't be able to stop him.
The handsome, aloof guy opposite him didn't say anything. He simply took out a card from his pocket and placed it in front of Lin Zhou. Lin Zhou only glanced at it and almost exploded...
Because in front of him was a Pinduoduo cashback card for positive reviews, which had a picture of a QR code and said that the maximum cashback for positive reviews was five yuan.
This must have been something I slipped into the toilet paper box when I bought it, something I didn't notice, but now it's ended up in the hands of the Imperial Guard.
"My master wants to see you," the young servant said softly. "Don't try anything funny, or those puppies outside the city will be in danger."
"You can try." Lin Zhou frowned, no longer pretending. "I'm leaving now. If I come back and find them hurt, I have plenty of ways to destroy your lousy country."
Lin Zhou straightened his back, meeting the man's gaze without fear, his eyes filled with contempt. Si Gou narrowed his eyes slightly, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his knife. The men behind him, dressed in dog skins, had already drawn their knives halfway, creating a tense atmosphere.
Lin Zhou broke out in a sweat, but based on his experience in this place, he knew that if he backed down in front of these people, he would be finished. If he didn't adopt a tough stance, he would be thoroughly manipulated.
"I wouldn't call myself a desperado, but if I really wanted to mess with you, it would be like playing with dogs." Lin Zhou pointed to his hand: "Try it if you don't believe me."
Lin Zhou wasn't a special agent or a chemistry PhD; he was just a lazy office worker. But he also knew very well how easy it would be for someone from the future who wasn't a transmigrated soul to take down this dynasty. All he had to do was grab something from the trash can in the infectious disease ward of a hospital and throw it into the most densely populated area of the place.
Three months, at most three months. Forget about the Song, Jin, and Mongol dynasties, I'll scatter your ashes.
The two faced off for a while, and the several low-ranking guards behind them were also ready to attack. In the end, the young and handsome leader raised his hand slightly and said, "It's not a bad thing that the Lord wants to see you, so don't panic."
"You're the ones who should be panicking." Lin Zhou waved his hand. "You've saved your own life. Lead the way."
After saying that, he turned around and pointed to his little cart: "Pull my cart up."
The dog didn't say much, but simply gestured to his men to pull up his cart, and the group of several people headed towards the Imperial City Guard's office.
On the way, passersby would occasionally glance at him, wondering why the Imperial City Guard, which could silence all officials, would be surrounding an ordinary vendor. But when the Imperial City Guard handled matters, even the Imperial Guards dared not step forward to inquire.
Soon they arrived at the Imperial City Guard's office. Inside, they could faintly hear screams and wails coming from deep within, making the seemingly simple and unadorned building complex appear eerie.
The group walked through the front yard and onto the outside of the hall. At this time, the lower-ranking servants left, leaving only the handsome man of a higher rank walking beside Lin Zhou.
"Please wait in the hall while I inform the magistrate."
Lin Zhou sat down as a matter of course: "Not even tea? Is this how you treat your guests in the Song Dynasty?"
The handsome man frowned, but still stepped forward to pour tea for Lin Zhou, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture before turning and leaving.
Not long after, a middle-aged man around forty years old came out. He was dressed in casual clothes, but instead of a tassel, he was wearing a crown, a purple-gold crown, which indicated that he was of a very high status.
But that makes sense. The commanders of the Imperial City Guard are all the emperor's most trusted confidants, his right and left arms, so it's understandable that they are of a higher rank.
Upon seeing Lin Zhou, he nodded slightly and said, "Young sir, please don't take offense at my rudeness; it was merely a matter of expediency."
Lin Zhou laughed: "No, why are you suddenly targeting such an insignificant nobody like me?"
"A nobody?" The magistrate lifted the front of his robe and sat down. "These days, there's been a lot of dysentery in Lin'an City. All the famous doctors have come out to cure it, but only those who buy medicine from this young master have recovered safely. In addition, the things this young master sells are novel and interesting. I once headed the Maritime Trade Office and have seen all kinds of strange things in the world, but I have never seen anything as novel as what this young master has. I think that this young master's background must be extraordinary."
"Haha... Big brother is so smart." Lin Zhou nodded slightly and said, "I was just after some money, I had no other intentions."
"Young master, we have been monitoring you for over a month," Si Hou chuckled. "We can tell you are a kind and honest person, otherwise you wouldn't be seeing me today."
"Don't threaten me, it won't work." Lin Zhou waved his hand and said, "If I want to leave, no one can stop me."
"What about the children outside the city? If I'm not mistaken, one of them is Yue Fei's second daughter who jumped into the well, isn't she?" Si Hou raised his eyes and glanced at Lin Zhou, then sighed softly, "Young master, don't panic. If I had any intention, I wouldn't have been so indulgent."
Lin Zhou looked the person in front of him up and down. He couldn't tell whether the person was telling the truth or lying. After all, when dealing with this kind of person, he couldn't believe a single punctuation mark.
"Young sir, where do you come from?"
Si Hou suddenly asked abruptly, casually taking out a pair of scissors that Lin Zhou had sold from a small box beside him and toying with them: "Refined steel, not cast iron. I can't fathom where in the world such a trivial thing could be forged from refined steel. So, where did you come from, young sir?"
His emphasis at the end caught Lin Zhou completely off guard. He opened his mouth but ultimately remained silent.
"Very well, I will not press you further, young master. I only wish to ask one question: are you a Song dynasty person?"
"no."
Lin Zhou's answer was resolute and without the slightest hesitation.
Faced with his answer, Si Hou was clearly taken aback. He turned his head to look closely at Lin Zhou's face, then suddenly laughed: "But young sir, you clearly look like a Han Chinese, so why do you say you're not a Song person?"
"Han people are Han people, and Song people are Song people. How dare you, a Song person, call yourself Han?" Lin Zhou leaned forward. "What kind of cowardly Han person is this?"
One sentence silenced the high-ranking official, Si Hou. He had originally wanted to use his invincible persuasive skills to give Lin Zhou some value, but who knew that a single word of weakness would interrupt his spellcasting.
"Young master, the officials have it tough too."
"Go to hell!" Lin Zhou rolled his eyes, immediately thinking this guy was an idiot. He didn't even bother to say anything more and just sat there drinking tea.
Seeing that Lin Zhou remained silent, Si Hou continued, "Alright, I won't ask any more questions. Since you're a merchant, let's talk business, shall we?"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing that there was business to be done, Lin Zhou immediately straightened up: "What would you like to buy?"
"The methods of steel casting and medicine refining."
"It can't be done." Lin Zhou shook his head and said bluntly, "This isn't something that can be developed just by having technology; it requires a complete industrial system."
What is an industrial...system?
Lin Zhou was too lazy to explain further, and simply said with a smile, "You can understand it this way. To build an industrial system here, we need to gather all the iron smelting workshops in the nine routes of Jiangnan, reorganize the three thousand maritime merchants in Quanzhou Port, provide free education for children under sixteen, and contribute all the tribute land of the million gentry. Most importantly, we need an emperor who will not betray the country."
Sihou took a deep breath, raised his head, and remained silent for a long time.
"Lord Si, let's get practical and make some money. Your crappy court is beyond saving." Lin Zhou didn't hold back at all: "If you have connections, I can make you the richest man in three years."
But Sihou did not answer directly; instead, he asked without warning, "Young sir, your place no longer has an emperor, does it?"
This startled Lin Zhou: "Huh? How did you know?"
Sihou merely smiled, then looked up and sighed deeply: "Then may I ask you, in the future, if China can reclaim its lost Central Plains?"
"Tomorrow, I'll show it to you. After you see it, we can discuss the cooperation in more detail."
"Then I will wait here for you, young master."