However, except for traveling merchants, nobles and relatives of Northern Liao princes, and slaves in the military states established under the head, very few Han people from the interior came here. Although there are not many Han people in Liaoyang Prefecture. But because of the bitter cold here and because they don’t want to be discriminated against, even the Han people dress like locals. The winter clothes worn by the Han people were unable to withstand the severe cold here. Although the Central Plains has vigorously promoted cotton cultivation in recent years, cotton-padded clothes and quilts have gradually become popular and have become cold clothing that ordinary people can basically afford.
But these cotton-padded clothes are still relatively cheap in the mainland of China. But compared to the huge amount of fur that is abundant in the local area, it is still a bit expensive. And compared with the fur that is abundant in the local area, its performance in keeping out the cold is still worse. In order to conceal his identity, Huang Ruifeng wore a leather robe on the outside, but the cotton coat underneath still revealed his identity as a mainland Han. And compared to the men here, they look rougher and have different hairstyles. Huang Ruifeng has a typical appearance of a mainland Han Chinese.
So, Huang Ruifeng and others found an inn and were about to stay. The four people dressed in typical Han costumes also attracted the attention of the Bohai shopkeepers. Although this Heye City is only a small county town because it is located in the hinterland of Northern Liao. It is said to be a county town, but its scale is not as big as a town in the mainland of the Central Plains. But because it is close to Liaoyang Mansion, one of the four capitals of Northern Liao Dynasty. And Liaoyang Prefecture is between Shengzhen, Bohai and Khitan. It is also the only place that Korean people must pass through when they go to Beiliao to go to Beijing. It can be said that its strategic position has always been extremely important.
Therefore, Beiliao government inspections here are quite intensive. As soon as Huang Ruifeng and his party checked into the only inn in Heye City, they attracted an inspection from the Liao people. Fortunately, Liu Hu has gained a lot of coping experience during his travels over the years. After a piece of silver slipped silently into the sleeve of the Northern Liao official. It can be said that he told me very respectfully that he was a smuggling fur trader from Jingzhao Mansion. Nowadays, the Central Plains is prosperous, and those noble and wealthy households think that old cotton-padded jackets are too ugly and are worn by ordinary people.
Nowadays, there is a huge demand in the Central Plains for high-end furs, especially sable and silver fox furs. Although these furs are also produced in the Central Plains, the thickness and luster of the furs are far inferior to those produced in Tokyo Road. Coupled with the demand for Dongzhu from mainland women, they came to Liaoyang Prefecture to purchase it. As for the Northern Liao official, when he looked at Huang Ruifeng's rather immature face, his face was full of suspicion. Liu Hu hurriedly explained that their master was getting older, and his energy and body were far worse than before.
The master has the idea of supporting the successor. Therefore, I specially asked the second young master in the mansion to come to Tokyo Road to make a personal trip this time. One is to get familiar with the merchants here, and the other is to learn how to do business. It can be seen that the Northern Liao official was very cautious and did not get carried away by Liu Hu's large ingot of silver. Compared with those officials who come from powerful backgrounds and are often at the top, the people at the bottom are more difficult to fool. Especially the police officers at the lowest level within the entire bureaucracy.
Because they deal with the most complex situations and the people at the lowest level, their tricks can be said to be very sophisticated. Although Huang Ruifeng was dark and thin due to being blown away by the sea breeze because he was mixed up on ships all day when he was in the Navy, the nobility that he grew up in the palace could not be hidden from these guys. Especially every gesture and gesture is like everyone's. Some things are developed since childhood, and cannot be completely changed by just a few months of making jokes with the lowest-ranking officers and soldiers in the navy.
Although Huang Ruifeng has tried his best to change, many of his subconscious actions reveal the strict upbringing he has received. Although Liu Hu's words were barely rigorous, they were dubious. How could that smuggler in this world raise such a noble son? How can those businessmen who don't know a few Chinese characters raise a son who looks like a noble prince in every move he makes? No matter how good Liu Hu's reasons were, Huang Ruifeng's temperament betrayed him in disguise.
Seeing that the official still looked unconvinced, Liu Hu said softly to this guy: "This man doesn't know. Although our boss is from a merchant family, he is very serious about his son's upbringing. I also know that , if businessmen in the Central Plains do not establish relationships with those official families, there is no way to do this business. Especially for these high-end furs, their main customers are them. When we were young, our husband was often ridiculed by those people as mud. Pole. Therefore, I attach great importance to the upbringing of my children."
"Our second son, because his mother is very favored by the master, he is also the one he loves the most. From the moment he fell off the grass, he asked the palace to release female officials and father-in-law to educate him. He was educated and literate, and he was also a Hanlin bachelor hired at a high price. . Every move is made according to the rules of the masters in the palace. Therefore, our young master has developed a noble spirit. Originally, the master expected that the young master would take the imperial examination and become an official. But the young master did not have this ambition. When there was nothing he could do, the master asked him to practice."
"I hope he will endure some hardships and go back to study with peace of mind. In the future, when he becomes a Jinshi and honors his ancestors, he can also pave the way for his family's business. Sir, I have said this for the sake of it. If you still don't believe it, You can go and find out, does our boss, the high-ranking officials from Marima, raise their children in this way? Do all the really big businessmen in the Central Plains educate their children in this way? Our boss has a shop in Liaoyang Prefecture. Excuse me. This master, please send someone to Liaoyang Mansion to inquire and you will find out."
Liu Hu's answer did not completely dispel the official's suspicion. This official works as an errand in Heye City, where people come and go all year round. In addition, Heye City is close to Liaoyang Mansion, and Liaoyang Mansion is an important town in Northern Liao that intimidates Goryeo and Jurchen tribes, and it is also the Tokyo city in Northern Liao. In the Northern Liao government, in order not to forget the difficulties of the ancestors in starting a business and to maintain the true nature of the nomadic people in riding and shooting, the emperor always relied on the nabao system. That is to say, throughout the year, tents were built in different places as palaces according to the different seasons.
Not to mention the Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo, I rarely stay in the capital. But after all, this is Tokyo City in Northern Liao Dynasty, and pedestrian interrogation has always been extremely strict. As the chief of the police in Zeheye County, although this man is a Khitan, he has been in this position for more than ten years, but his eyes are very vicious, and he is so easy to fool. Although Huang Ruifeng showed nobility inadvertently, how could he believe Liu Hu's words so easily? The other people didn't care, but Huang Ruifeng was still a bit eye-catching.
But before he could wait for that, after what he said, the official who was still looking dubious about what to say, a clear voice came from outside the door of the inn: "You old fool, come to Liaoyang Mansion. Why don't you come to me? We've already reached Heye, and we're only two steps away? Master Ma is a noble person and a rare guest of our Ying family. If you encounter any danger, how can you, an old guy, ask the Ying family to tell Uncle Ma? Explain? The year before last, my mother and I went to Ma's house as guests. This is not how the Ma family behaves. "
Speaking of which, this handsome young man wearing an extremely high-quality sable fur showed his extraordinary status. Ignoring him, when he saw him coming, his waist was almost bent to the ground with a charming smile on his face. Instead, he walked up to Huang Ruifeng, clasped his fists lightly and said, "Young Master Ma, it's rare for you to set foot in Liaoyang Mansion this time. Why didn't you go to my house instead of going to this small Heye City? What if this is rumored to be true? If we go out, won't we let others laugh at our Ying family for not treating guests well and being indifferent to our distinguished guests?"
Upon hearing the words of the young man who stepped forward to rescue him, Huang Ruifeng immediately stood up. But just after he returned the favor with his fists clasped, he looked at the young man. This young man's appearance made Huang Ruifeng slightly stunned at first. If the young man in front of him had a beard on his chin and was ten or twenty years older, he would look exactly like his own emperor. It's just that although Huang Ruifeng is young, his reactions are extremely quick. The shock was only for a short moment, and then he immediately returned to normal.
After regaining consciousness, Huang Ruifeng did not panic at all, but said to the donkey down the slope: "I feel a little ashamed to say it. This is my first time on Tokyo Road, and it is also my first time to encounter such heavy snow. . Along the way, I admired the snow scenery that was not seen in the Central Plains, but I didn’t expect that I missed the time. I was about to arrive at Liaoyang Mansion, but I didn’t expect that the remaining dozens of miles would be covered with snow. It's too thick, but I can't walk away with my eyes open. But Master Laoying is thinking about it, and I'm really sorry."
The two of them were singing and singing together, and the chief official next to him saw that this young man was acquainted with the famous young master of the Ying family in Tokyo Prefecture, and even looked very familiar with him, so how could he dare to make ink marks. On the list of people who should not be offended in Tokyo Road, the Ying family ranks first. If he offends the Ying family, he will be punished by others in the left-behind department. If he stabbed him in front of the Holy Lord, he would cause big trouble. He collected the ingot of silver that Liu Hu rewarded him with in his sleeves and left in a hurry.
Seeing that the group of officials had finally left, Liu Hu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time looked at the two very affectionate young men with some confusion. I don’t know when my young master has become an acquaintance in the wild land of Beiliao. But the young master waved his hand to him, indicating that he didn't need to worry. Then he followed the young man named Ying to a private room in the inn. Originally, this inn was the only inn in Heye Castle. And Heye City is the place that must be passed on the way to Liaoyang Mansion.
On weekdays, there are not many merchants or travelers traveling to and from Liaoyang Mansion. There are also a considerable number of people separated here by this heavy snow. By the time Huang Ruifeng and his party arrived at the inn, there were no single rooms left. Although he was regarded as the second son of the emperor in Da Qi, he was worthless in Bei Liao. Not to mention that his true identity cannot be revealed. Even if he could be revealed, no one might really take him seriously. Huang Ruifeng was originally ready to squeeze into Datong Shop. But as soon as the young master Ying arrived, he immediately got a box even if he didn't have one.
After the two teenagers entered the house, the waiter immediately brought dinner diligently. And I glanced at the large pieces of mutton and sorghum rice on the table. The only two things that were more exquisite were a fish caught from the Liao River and a plate of roe deer meat fried with green onions. The young man named Ying couldn't help but frown. He grew up in a wealthy family since he was a child, and he was also a foodie.
Although he has been raised by his mother since he was thirteen years old, he has been to the Jurchen tribe in the vast forest and snowy plains, the Khitan tribe in the grassland and Gobi, or the extremely poor Koryo country. It's not that he is really picky about food, but that he thinks this kind of rough diet should not appear in his banquet. Just thinking about the snowy weather outside and this small town, these things must be considered high-end.
