Shangxian Guanyi is located outside the city. When Huang Xie and the others arrived, the city gate of Shang County had been closed. The postmen at Daqian Station seemed to be very aware of this and had already given them priority to contact Guanyi to rest for the night. The next day, Guan Wei led Huang Xie to the outside of Shang Ling's Mansion. After the document was submitted, the county magistrate ordered Huang Xie to meet in court, while Guan Wei was taken to the private school.
The dignified envoy and prince of a kingdom were being called back and forth by a group of commanding officers. Huang Xie was completely numb from the humiliation he felt at the beginning. He dressed and entered, saluted in front of the steps, signed up his name and said, "I'd like to see you, Mr. Chu!"
A call came from the hall: "Young Master, please rest in the hall!"
Huang Xie walked up the steps, entered the hall, and stood by the door with his hands folded. All the doors in the lobby are open, so it looks very bright. There is a business order sitting under the screen in the middle, with several cases in front; there is a case on both sides, but there is only one case with someone sitting behind it, and the other case is empty. Huang Xie guessed that they should be the county captain and the county magistrate respectively, because the Shang County captain was in Wuguan and could only pretend to be a fictitious seat. The county magistrate pointed to a seat next to him and said, "Sir, please take a seat!"
Huang Xie saluted and sat down. Shang Ling said: "Young Master has traveled thousands of miles to come to our city. He is willing to restore the relationship between Qin and Chu. He has done a great job. I think Qin and Chu were a marriage, and they are not Chinese. They are both barbarians. We all know how to be friendly to each other, so we should not attack each other. The country will be lucky and the people will be lucky!”
After being treated rudely just now, Huang Xie suddenly heard kind words. Huang Xie didn't know whether this was Qin's strategy or a barbarian who didn't understand Chinese etiquette. Moreover, these words were actually spoken by a small businessman. Is it his personal opinion, or is he being instructed to do it intentionally?
Although he had a lot of doubts, Huang Xie still answered smoothly: "In the past, my ancestors worked together as one, and the two countries were as one, bound by marriage, and joined together to form an alliance. He said: Ye Wan's descendants must not be disadvantageous to each other. So far ten Eighth generation! Today, the Queen Mother of Qin is the daughter of Chu, and the King of Chu is the daughter of Qin. It is true that the inheritance of Xian Pi is true. Our king resumes the legacy of his ancestors, renews the marriage, and sends his ministers to Qin. I dare to show my sincerity. In response to the will of Heaven and the will of the people, we hope it will come true."
The business order did not say much, but saluted briefly and said: "I really hope that your son's marriage will come true."
Huang Xie's heart skipped a beat. He felt that there was something in Shang Ling's words, but he couldn't ask questions, so he could only say so.
Shang Ling said: "Although Qin and Chu are close relatives, they are fighting for the first time, and they are not able to get the best of them, so it is difficult to calm down."
Huang Xie said: "Chu offended a large country, and its kings and grandsons fled, and the capital was deserted. However, I felt deeply guilty and dared not complain. Now my city is in panic in the east, losing its family and country, and waiting for the crime in the suburbs. Therefore, I sent my ministers in, but I did not dare to complain. With the king's advice!"
Shang Ling said: "Young master, please encourage me!" After a few words of gossip, Huang Xie resigned.
After Huang Xie came out, he saw the guard waiting outside the door. Seeing Huang Xie come out, the guards of Guan reported: "I have protected the young master to Shang. His journey has been completed and he must return to Guan now. From here to Lantian, only Shang ordered to protect him."
Huang Xie hurriedly saluted and said: "Guan Wei took care of us all the way. His kindness is not small!" The two returned to Guanyi. Guan Wei barely stayed and left with the Qin soldiers. The postman was at the front as usual.
In the afternoon, the county magistrate came to see Huang Xie and informed Huang Xie that tomorrow it would still be Mao time for dinner and Chen time for the road trip. Huang Xie thanked him. Fifty people spent another night in the library.
At Mao o'clock the next day, the county magistrate personally took the two of them to Guanyi. Huang Xie and the others had already packed up. The county magistrate led them through the city. Ten miles away to the west of the city, three people were already waiting there. The county magistrate introduced him as the director of the pavilion. It seems that the rules in Shang County are different from those in Wuguan. Wuguan was escorted from beginning to end by a guard, while Shangxian was guarded by the chief of the pavilion. Huang Xie guessed this in his heart.
After bidding farewell to the county magistrate, Huang Xie walked to the pavilion, trying to talk to him at every turn. The chief of the pavilion was different from the guards in that he could have some conversations, but he was limited to talking about things in his hometown. He basically didn't know anything outside his hometown. Huang Xie was not discouraged and kept chatting with the pavilion chief all the way, trying to get some useful information out of him. ——It doesn't matter if you can't get it out, there's nothing to do anyway while walking on the street. He tried hard to learn Qin Opera, but he couldn't learn it well, which made the pavilion chief and the pavilion soldiers chuckle.
In line with Huang Xie's guess, after arriving at the next pavilion, the two pavilion chiefs took over the work, and Huang Xie and the others could rest for a while and drink some water. Then move on to the next stop.
The mountain roads here are steep and bumpy, making walking difficult. Inspired by Huang Xie, some businessmen also came over to talk with the pavilion chief and pavilion soldiers. If those businessmen are willing to stay, they will naturally say that they understand Qin Yin. The chief of the pavilion and the pavilion guards were a little cautious at first, for fear of saying the wrong thing. They slowly let go of their restraint and gradually started talking...
However, the journey is still as mechanical as leaving Wuguan: one pavilion for ten miles, one post for thirty miles, and it will be dusk after walking two posts, and I will rest in the post for a day. The next day we went out for dinner as usual and set off on our journey during meal time. After walking for two days, the group finally arrived at the foot of Mount Aoshan. Rest one night in the post house, and spend one day on the third day going around Yaoshan and entering Lantian. The moment they crossed Yaoshan Mountain, the scenery in front of them suddenly changed. The vast mountains disappeared from the eyes, and a large plain appeared in front of them. Although it still takes a day to walk along the dam from here to Xianyang, everyone felt relieved. Many people cheered.
Huang Xie looked at the plain in front of him with complicated emotions. This was his first time entering Qin. When he saw Qinchuan, which was almost surrounded by mountains, and then thought about the undefeable Chencheng, he felt that Qin was uniquely endowed with natural resources. On the other hand, how should he think about it? How about convincing the King of Qin to make peace with Chu?
One day later, Huang Xie finally appeared outside Xianyang City. No, he could only say that he appeared on the banks of the Weishui River, because Xianyang was not surrounded by city walls, but was built along the water. Except for tall palaces with palace walls, there were no foreign countries. Passable city gates and city wall buildings. The fertile fields above and below the dam guard a towering palace on a mound; the surrounding houses are in order, like ministers worshiping; broad avenues run through it. Surrounded by fertile fields and surrounded by mountains, there are only rugged mountain roads leading to the outside world. The State of Qin is located in such a nearly closed world.
On the banks of the Weishui River, the escorting pavilion chief took them to the post. What the businessmen were most concerned about was that not far away, there was a tall post box with the words "Xianyang City" written underneath it. They all ran to ask the post officials, was Xianyang a market? The post official looked at them like monsters and replied: "Of course!"
Incomparable excitement arose in the hearts of the merchants: Qin State actually has a market, Qin State actually has a market! How incredible this is! Didn’t the people of Qin despise merchants? Is it a rumor?
The post official probably saw their eagerness to trade, and told them: "Qin has a gold and cloth code, and the gold and cloth matters are very detailed. I hope you will be careful not to violate it."
The businessmen asked: "What is Jinbulu?"
The post official said: "I'm just talking about merchants. It's very different from other countries, so be careful not to violate it."
The merchants asked: "How do you know the golden rule?"
The post official said: "On the next day, when the market opens, you can enter the market and consult with the officials in the pavilion."
When the businessmen asked questions, Huang Xie listened quietly. This was the first time he heard about Jinbulu, and he had never heard of even laws for doing business: one hand pays the money, the other hand delivers the goods, clearly, what kind of laws are needed? Is it a tax method? Suspicious, the merchants have decided to go to the market to observe tomorrow. Huang Xie took the opportunity to inquire about the envoy's meeting with the king. The post official could not give them any more guidance, and could only ask them to go to the palace to find a guest tomorrow.
The next day, all the businessmen went to the market to look for business opportunities. Huang Xie sent several retainers to the Qin palace to go through the formalities for an audience.
By noon, the merchants who went to the market came back with expressions of disbelief on their faces. After Huang Xie asked, he found out that there were many rules for doing business in Qin. The post officials they contacted were obviously very familiar with the law and answered their questions eloquently; but these provisions surprised them and they were incomprehensible.
"'The government receives money, and a thousand coins are sealed with the seals of the prime minister and his order. Money is good and bad, and it is mixed with reality. When money is given out, it is presented to the prime minister or order, and it is used. People use money in the market, and it is mixed with good and evil. Don't dare to Different. 'This is an order that will result in more bad money and less good money, so why do we do this?" A businessman shook his head repeatedly, expressing his incomprehension.
"The Qin Dynasty used money and cloth in parallel. The cloth is eight feet wide and two feet five inches wide. If the width of the cloth is not as wide as the pattern, it will not work. "Ten dollars of money should be used as one cloth." No matter whether the money is good or evil, the pattern of the cloth is the same. If you get the cloth and enter the Qin Dynasty, eight feet will be worth eleven coins, how can you make a profit?" A businessman was calculating economic accounts.
One businessman even said angrily: "Those who live in Jia City and the officials in the government dare not choose to carry money or cloth. Those who choose to carry money or cloth will be punished by the rank and file. If the officials do not follow this carefully, they are all guilty." 'Choose the good and reject the evil, this is the natural principle. Qin Nai thinks it is a sin, it is really unreasonable!"
A businessman nearby asked: "Who is in the column?"
The businessman seemed to understand this very well and replied: "Businessmen entering the market should be arranged in groups of five or ten in a row, as per military law. Those who do not live in a row are not allowed to trade."
A businessman said: "How can we get Shanglie?"
A businessman said: "When trading in the market booth, it is like acres of land."
Huang Xie heard that they often said "Shi Ting", so he asked: "What is Shi Ting?"
A businessman replied: "The market pavilion is located above the market gate. The pavilion is like a canopy. There are officials and soldiers in the pavilion to check for adultery and lawless people in the market. When buying and selling in the market, no counter-offering is allowed. Everything is separate. It’s all worth it; except for small things that are not worth a penny.”
A businessman said: "If my brother hears the news and raises the price, it will be difficult to do this."
The merchants in Chu all shook their heads, saying that doing business in Qin really changed their outlook on life. The business experience accumulated in the past was almost completely useless here. What's important here is that the price is clear and the price is clear, and no one can be deceived. This is simply too sage!
Having said that, these businessmen who followed were all wealthy businessmen who had been doing business for a long time. Naturally, they knew that just grabbing a handful and running away would not last long. In fact, they all came with the intention of doing business honestly. It's just that idealized business practices are established as basic rules here, subverting people's imagination. If you calm down and think about it, there are still plenty of business opportunities!
