The sixth day after Yuan Day.
Go to the county!
In the coldest month of winter, compared to Xianyang, the further north you go, the colder the weather becomes.
Fortunately, both Bai Yan and Feng Nian were well prepared and wrapped in thick clothes.
Along the way, the rolling mountains and ridges made Bai Yan realize that the journey to Gaonu would take longer than expected.
Fortunately, despite the hardships along the way, we arrived at Gaonu City without incident.
The city gate.
Several Qin officials were holding long swords and were checking the people coming in and out. As Gaonu, one of the three major cities in Shangjun, both the flow of people and the population in the city were extremely large.
The most important reason why it became one of the three major cities is that when Qin merchants traded with the Xiongnu and Yuezhi, they all did so in Gaonu.
Qin's medicinal materials, tea, and even salt mines and other necessities were needed by the Xiongnu. For the sake of safety, Qin's merchants would not be stupid enough to drag the goods directly to the grasslands.
From ancient times to the present, those merchants who were brave enough to carry goods to the grassland basically never met a happy end. After a certain transaction, the Huns would directly kill them and rob them of the goods.
After all, in the grassland, the Huns don't care whether you live or die, they can kill you if they want.
In the eyes of the Huns, not to mention you as a merchant, even an envoy or a prince, the Huns would dare to kill you.
"stop!"
A Qin official saw Bai Yan coming forward with his horse and said.
Like several other Qin officials, this Qin official was also very young. They were all soldiers. After training in the military camp, they were dispatched to Gaonu to garrison here.
At this time, Bai Yan took out the wooden sign and city seal from his arms.
The young Qin soldier stepped forward, and his eyes widened when he saw Bai Yan's wooden plaque and the hanging city seal.
"Greetings to the city guard!"
Qin soldiers quickly bowed their hands and saluted.
The other Qin soldiers didn't know why at first, but when they saw the seal in Bai Yan's hand, they immediately thought of something.
"Greetings to the city guard!"
"Greetings to the city guard!"
A Qin official ignored the cross-examination and quickly bowed his head and saluted.
this moment.
The other people who were coming in and out all looked at the young Bai Yan in astonishment. On the carriages that had not yet been checked, the merchants who heard the movement opened the curtains and came out to watch.
"Um!"
Bai Yan was also a little surprised. He did not expect that the city's guard seal would cause such a big commotion.
Feng Nian, who was watching this scene, smacked his lips repeatedly and looked at Bai Yan with admiration.
When he was in Wei State, Bai Yan was still sleeping under the roof of others and was as destitute as he was, but now he was holding a city seal.
Seeing Bai Yan entering, Feng Nian came to his senses and quickly followed.
Inside the city.
Bai Yan held the horse and looked at the many Xiongnu traders and Qin traders on the streets in the city. The furs that had been hard to find in Xianyang City were all seen here in the hands of Xiongnu traders.
"how much is this?"
Bai Yan led the war horse to a vendor, squatted down, and held a piece of silver-gray wolf skin.
But the next moment.
The Hun merchant babbled something, and Bai Yan narrowed his eyes and his expression suddenly fell.
Because he found that he couldn't understand what the Huns were saying at all.
"But you want to buy a wolf skin? I can understand the Huns' language. Give me two dollars, no, three dollars, and I will help you communicate with this Hun trader?
At this time, a child of about ten years old came to Bai Yan and said to Bai Yan.
And perhaps because Bai Yan was holding a wolf skin, the child knew that the price would be temporarily increased.
"Can you understand the Xiongnu dialect?"
Bai Yan was a little surprised when he heard the child's words.
It's amazing that such a young person can actually understand the Xiongnu's words!
"Three coins!"
When the child heard Bai Yan's words, the expression on his face was full of pride. It was obvious that he had a child's nature and was very benefited by Bai Yan's words.
However, the next moment, Bai Yan's words made the child's face completely flattered.
"Are those children like you, able to understand the Xiongnu language?"
Bai Yan pointed at several children in the distance.
"They don't understand!"
The child tried to answer Bai Yan calmly, but the guilty look in his eyes and the lack of arrogance in his tone clearly told Bai Yan that he was lying.
"Half money! If you help me negotiate the price with this Huns, I will give you half money. If not, I will go find those children."
Bai Yan said with a smile.
After Bai Yan finished speaking, neither the child nor Feng Nian remained calm.
Feng Nian looked at Bai Yan incomprehensively, because even half a penny was not a small amount.
The child had never seen Bai Yan bargain like this, from five cents to half cents. He had never seen that person give so much less at once.
"One penny can't be less. If you go to them, it's still one penny!"
The child looked at Bai Yan and said.
This time, the child's expression and eyes clearly didn't look like he was telling lies, and his anxious little eyes were even a little red.
Next to the vendors.
After Bai Yan planned to bargain, he took out the wooden sign and told the child that he could find someone to come without spending any money. He planned to let the child carefully consider whether he wanted half the money.
But seeing the child's sincere and eager eyes, Bai Yan finally nodded.
"Okay! I'll give you a dollar!"
Under Feng Nian's incomprehensible gaze, Bai Yan took out a piece of money from his arms and handed it to the child.
Just now.
Bai Yan saw his former self in the child, and he was like this at that time.
And he also observed that there are many children here, but many Qin merchants have servants who understand Xiongnu dialect.
After a while.
With the help of children, Bai Yan successfully spent less than one-tenth of the money in Xianyang to buy furs.
After holding the fur, Bai Yan couldn't help but complain that the merchants of Qin State really ate people without spitting out their bones.
The sentimental merchants of the Qin State increased the price tenfold or even higher.
After saying goodbye to the child.
Bai Yan was about to lead the horse and walk towards the city guard's mansion.
At this moment.
"I heard that Mr. Na Lu was killed, but the murderer has not been found yet. I heard that it was the Huns who killed him, but I don't know if it is true."
"No, I heard that Mr. Lu has already submitted a letter to resign and return home. I never wanted to encounter such a thing."
"It's a pity that Mr. Lu and his family were all killed."
Accompanied by the sounds of several pedestrians walking and talking.
Bai Yan was a little confused after hearing this, and then turned to look at the child.
"Do you know what they said?"
Bai Yan asked.
Hearing this, the child instinctively asked for money, but for some reason, when he saw the young Bai Yan frowning slightly in thought at this moment, he finally stopped talking about money.
"Master Lu, the city magistrate who was just transferred to Gaonu County not long ago, heard that he was planning to resign and return to his hometown. However, half a month ago, all the family members were suddenly killed. The murderer was never found. The county governor Yang Xian and the supervisor Shi Li Pingyan and County Lieutenant Hu Jin are all here."
The child told everything about this incident that shocked the entire Gao Nu.
Bai Yan was a little confused after hearing this.
"Do you know how old Mr. Lu is?"
Bai Yan turned his head and looked at the child.
The child thought for a while, looked at Bai Yan, and said with some uncertainty: "I heard it was half a hundred, and some people said it was forty."
Bai Yan looked thoughtful.
Whether he is half a hundred or forty, he is still far from the age to resign.
Not only in Qin, but also in other countries, there are ministers who are still in high positions at the age of seventy or eighty.
Why did Mr. Lu resign, and after resigning, his whole family was killed.
"Do you know where Mr. Lu's residence is?"
Bai Yan looked at the child, holding the fur in one hand and taking out two coins from his pocket.
Hu Jin, who was instrumental in destroying Han Dynasty, has now been promoted to Zuogeng and his position has been promoted to county lieutenant.
In the official position system of the Qin State, the county lieutenant: in charge of the military garrison in the county and in charge of public security.
Hu Jin had just been promoted to county lieutenant when Lord Lu was killed. If the murderer was never found, this incident would definitely become a stumbling block for Hu Jin's promotion and a talking point for his political enemies in the future.
Now that he had just arrived in Gaonu, although he had not yet taken office, if possible, he would not mind returning a favor to Hu Jin to see if he could help Hu Jin solve this case.
It’s too late for another update, so readers, I’ll update it first!
(End of chapter)
