On the 30th day of the first lunar month, Han Qing took a carriage and went out together with Dou Rong and Dou Sha, heading straight to the west and east cities of Chang'an.
Chang'an City has an advantageous geographical location. Although it suffered from repeated wars during the Five Dynasties, after more than 40 years of cultivation and rest after the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has gradually returned to a somewhat prosperous appearance.
In particular, its city size is the largest in the world. And its population is second only to Tokyo Bianliang in the world.
Han Qing was used to seeing high-rise buildings, cars and crowds of people in the 21st century. When he saw the bustling scene of Chang'an City again, he was not surprised.
However, it was rare for Dou Rong, Dou Sha, and Zhang Fan and Wang Wu who were accompanying them to see such a prosperous scenery. Their eyes quickly shone and their faces were filled with excitement.
According to the tradition left over from the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Chang'an West Market still sells mainly high-priced items such as jewelry, jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, and overseas treasures. Therefore, each store is decorated with the utmost luxury, and the doors, windows, tables, and chairs are all
It's spotlessly clean. People who don't have enough money in their pockets will be intimidated when they walk up to the steps.
Han Qing asked himself that he made a lot of extra money while working as an inspector in Jinniuzhai. After being promoted to the post of judge of the Department of Punishments and Prisons, his monthly official salary plus various subsidies amounted to at least thirty cents. (Note:
The monthly salary of a sixth-grade official in the Song Dynasty is equivalent to 20,000 yuan plus five shi meters and various subsidies. Roughly converted into RMB, it is about 30,000 yuan.)
However, when he went into any shop and took a look, he found that if he did not accept bribes, his monthly salary could barely buy two pieces of jewelry for Dou Rong. Moreover, the ruby on it was only a small piece the size of a grain of rice.
Regardless of the quality or weight, they are a little hard to come by.
Fortunately, Dou Rong was not looking for luxury. When she saw Han Qing holding a ruby step and shaking it towards her head, she persuaded him that there was no need to spend the unjust money. In the end, she couldn't stand Han Qing, so she picked an eight-cent piece for herself.
The gold one was inlaid with red coral. After paying back the price to 1,200 coins, the waiter wrapped it up and happily took it into the carriage.
When Han Qing saw it, his heart inevitably felt warm and sour at the same time.
The warm thing is that God opened my eyes and allowed me to meet a sincere, gentle and considerate lover in this life.
What is sour is that in the last few years of my life, my income far exceeded that of a sixth-rank official in the Song Dynasty. I gave away brand-name bags and jewelry, but I never met a woman who wanted to save money for me.
The carriage stopped and went, browsing most of the various shops in the West Market. Then it crossed the long street and headed straight to the East Market.
Compared to the West Market, the East Market is undoubtedly more lively, and most of the items sold in the shops are items for daily use. Occasionally, there are one or two selling earrings, bracelets, and mainly silverware, copperware, and gold plating, and the prices are very affordable.
, the workmanship is not inferior to those high-end products in the West Market.
In addition, all kinds of clothing, shoes and socks, cloth, and ribbons are also open for sale in the East Market. If a customer wants to try something on, he can directly say hello to the waiter, and someone will come to guide him to a specially separated room. Moreover, the guide is
The staff, both male and female, made the customers feel the store's thoughtfulness and avoided a lot of embarrassment.
Dou Rong and Dou Sha, siblings, are both growing up. Previously, they were hiding in Tibet with Han Qingdong and didn't bother to dress up. But now that spring is about to bloom, their previous clothes are not suitable for He Ji.
Already.
So, when they arrived at Dongshi, the two of them felt like fish in water. Soon, they each had large and small packages in their hands. By the way, they also bought several sets of ready-made clothes for Han Qing and pulled out several large rolls of cloth of various colors before they were satisfied.
Officials in the Song Dynasty were well-paid. After Han Qing took office, he ordered several sixth-grade official uniforms and regular uniforms at public expense. Therefore, he was not very interested in buying clothes and cloth.
However, seeing Dou Rong and Dou Sha, two siblings, having so much fun shopping, Han Qing didn't want to ruin their fun. She just stayed beside them with a smile, paying and carrying bags.
Other men in the Song Dynasty did not have the habit of going shopping with their wives and helping to carry things. So, Dou Rong soon became embarrassed, blushed, and whispered, "Brother Han, why don't you go shopping by yourself?
Just ask Uncle Wang Wu to follow us!"
"That's fine!" Han Qingchao looked around and happened to see a shop selling colored glaze, and nodded with a smile.
Glaze and glass are the same item. This thing is extremely simple to make if you don't pursue transparency.
And if this thing could be sold for a decent price in the East Market of Chang'an City, Han Qing didn't care and secretly sent people to open a workshop to dig sand and make variegated glass.
With a plan to make a fortune in mind, Han Qing immediately became energetic, called his personal guard Wu Er, quickly crossed the street and went straight to Liulishu.
However, after entering the door, he was greatly disappointed. All the items inside were beautiful and of exquisite craftsmanship. However, they could only be used as substitutes for jade, and none of them were practical. Moreover, the prices were also outrageously low.
Han Qing was not sure how much it would cost if he sent someone to burn the glass. However, based on the prices of various items in the glass shop, the profit would probably be far less than he originally imagined.
He turned around and went out, planning to go back to meet Dou Rong. His footsteps suddenly stopped on the steps. His eyes looked up and down at a windproof lantern hanging at the door.
Because it is a popular product with an affordable price, the shape of the lantern is extremely simple. It is just that around the square wooden base, four palm-sized pieces of variegated colored glass are vertically inlaid, and an iron lampshade is covered on top.
With the reflection on the surface of the variegated glass, Han Qing could clearly see that three strong men wearing different skin colors also stopped and quietly looked at him. Two of them had simple knives on their waists, and the other
One person is holding a long pole in his hand.
The government of the Song Dynasty prohibited people from carrying crossbows on the streets, but the simple knife, which was only two feet long and palm wide, and could be used to chop bones and chop vegetables, was not within the scope of the ban.
And carrying poles, no matter how long or thick they are, are necessary for porters to make a living, and it is even less likely that the government will ban them.
Therefore, the favorite weapons of gangsters are simple knives and poles. Since the former can chop bones, it can be used to chop people. And the latter, with an iron tip attached to it, can be used as a seven-foot spear.
The feeling of being a divorce counselor in her previous life instantly flooded Han Qing's body.
He is absolutely professional and experienced in tracking things like this. Compared with him in his previous life, those three men were nothing more than childish!
With the help of the reflection on the surface of the lantern, he quickly glanced at the clothing store where Dou Rong and Dou Sha were staying. He confirmed that Wang Wu, Zhang Fan and several other close associates brought over from the army could protect the siblings safely.
So, I smiled and asked the price, bought the lantern, held it in my hand, and left.
Through the smooth surface of the glazed lantern, he could see that the three strong men followed them quietly immediately. One of them, who had a wrinkle at the corner of his eye, had quietly touched his hand to his waist.
However, due to the crowds of pedestrians on the street, the "Rogue Eye" soon had to put his hands down again to avoid starting too early and being discovered by the target before he could squeeze in and run away.
"Judge, the snake has come out of the hole. Why don't you send a signal to Judge Zhe?" Wu Er, the personal guard, also relied on the intuition developed on the battlefield and noticed that someone was eyeing his superior, so he quietly walked to him and asked for instructions in a low voice.
"Don't be in a hurry! Find a spacious place so that they can start." Han Qing smiled and shook his head gently, leading Wu Er and continuing to walk slowly.
Every time I come to a slightly different shop, I stop to take a few glances, or ask about the price of a certain item, or grab a certain item to play with, and then continue to wander around.
After investigating the case for a month and a half, he believed that some people were already on pins and needles.
Therefore, just four days in advance, he used Dou Sha's mouth to announce his itinerary during his bath, making it known to everyone in the Yamen.
