Chapter 309 International Trade

The three little ones came out of the Qinglou with the eunuchs in flowery clothes. Looking at the vibrant streets of the East Market in front of them, they also felt that a new day had begun.

Today is the fifth day since they left the palace. In two days, it will be time for them to return to the palace.

Now the case on hand has been successfully closed, and this month's competition has also come to a conclusion.

So including today, they still have three full days to play outside the palace.

I don't know when such an opportunity will come again in the future, and the three little ones must have fun.

In the past few days, they have been playing near the East Market of Wannian County for the convenience of investigating the case.

So, they plan to go to the West Market on the other side of the capital today.

The West Market is located in Chang'an County and is also a lively place in the capital.

The three little ones first returned to Xingqing Palace, and then asked someone to arrange a carriage.

The territory of the capital is not small. If they just walk there, I am afraid that they will walk back and forth and it will be dark.

After getting a carriage from Xingqing Palace, the three children headed towards the West Market.

When the capital was built, the Zhuque Street on the extension of the north-south axis of the imperial city was used as the central axis, and the layout was strictly planned according to the principle of left-right symmetry.

Therefore, the entire Daxing capital has a rigorous structure, neat divisions, and a strict layout with a single axis.

If you look at the map, the location of the West Market is exactly the same as the location of the East Market, except that one is in the east and the other is in the west.

Li Xuan guessed that the craftsman who designed the Daxing capital must have an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

According to the shortest distance, they can go directly to the West Market by passing through the avenue where the Zhuque Gate in front of the imperial city is located.

Unfortunately, when they arrived here, the road had been blocked.

There are imperial guards guarding this place, and no one is allowed to pass.

It is said that this is the case every time the morning court is held. All the streets and twelve markets in front of the Hanguang Gate, Zhuque Gate and Anshang Gate in front of the imperial city will be temporarily closed until the morning court is over.

In the past, Daxing held court once every ten days, and sometimes they would hold court temporarily on special occasions.

It was not until the Yongyuan Emperor that it was changed to once every five days, which was considered extremely diligent.

Therefore, during this morning court session, the temporary road control would not cause too much trouble to the people in the capital.

Generally speaking, the road control would end at noon at the latest.

They left home early today, so they happened to encounter this road control, and had to turn south at Pingkangfang and make a long detour to the West Market.

But there are also benefits to taking a detour, and the scenery along the way is different.

Along the way, the three children saw several temples and Taoist temples with different styles, including the Hu Temple.

It must be said that religious beliefs in Daxing are quite free.

Otherwise, there would not be so many religious buildings of different styles in the capital.

When the three children passed by these temples and Taoist temples, they heard bursts of Buddhist chants and smoke from the inside, and it seemed that the incense was very strong.

Especially early in the morning, many believers came to worship wholeheartedly, which shows their piety.

"Sister Yu'er, I didn't expect there are so many temples and Taoist temples in the capital."

"Do many people in Daxing believe in these?"

Princess Ankang asked curiously.

Yu'er showed a look of reminiscence, and then answered:

"I remember when I was a child, when there was something big in the village, we would go to pray to the gods."

"Although Pingshan Village where I live is just a small village, there is a temple and a Taoist temple nearby."

"The masters there grow their own crops and are all practitioners. They can go high and low, so the villagers naturally believe in them."

"And the masters don't care whether you believe it or not. If the village has difficulties, they will help them and they will lend a hand."

"The masters in the temples and Taoist temples all said that doing good is their practice. We are happy to come to them when we are in trouble."

Yu'er said with a smile, and seemed to have a good impression of the practitioners near Pingshan Village.

Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a little surprised when he heard it.

"Hearing Yu'er say this, it seems like she is a true practitioner."

Li Xuan originally had no good feelings towards these monks and Taoists.

Gods and Buddhas were too illusory for him, and he didn't believe in those mysterious things at all.

Li Xuan believed that there might be masters in Buddhism and Taoism, but he didn't believe that they had gods and Buddhas with transcendental power.

As the carriage passed by these temples and Taoist temples, Li Xuan cast a curious look.

If he had the opportunity to travel around with Princess Ankang and Yu'er in the future, he might be able to deal with them.

Turning north from Changshoufang, where the Chang'an County Government is located, it has already become very lively.

As the noise intensified, they had already seen the location of the West Market.

From a distance, you can see that the entrance and exit of the West Market are busy with cars and people.

When the carriage arrived at such a place, it would move very slowly.

They parked the carriage outside the West Market, left someone to guard it, and then prepared to walk into the West Market.

Princess Ankang sat in a wheelchair holding Li Xuan, looking at the West Market in front of her with curiosity.

As they entered the West Market, the sound waves in their ears suddenly rose.

Even Li Xuan couldn't help but look around with curiosity.

The East Market they visited recently was close to the imperial palace, so there were many mansions of dignitaries nearby, so there were many "luxury goods" stores in the East Market, which was a business district for high-end consumers in Beijing.

The West Market was equivalent to an international trade market, where many ordinary people gathered, and there were also a large number of merchants from the Western Regions and surrounding countries.

In general, compared with the East Market, the West Market was more civilian and popular, and the flow of people was more complicated than that of the East Market. In addition to merchants from all over the world, there were also merchants from various countries and a large number of Hu merchants, and the goods sold were mainly daily goods and small consumption.

Looking around, the West Market was indeed more friendly to the people, and the atmosphere seemed more free.

There were a large number of Hu Ji and artists from various countries gathered on the street, dancers, actors, opera and acrobatics, and they were everywhere, coming and going.

Just walking on the street, they can see a lot of wonderful programs.

Watching the red turn into green, the Hu Ji is as beautiful as a flower, and the Hu merchant is laughing in the spring breeze.

Here, the three children saw a Hu merchant with red beard and blue eyes, leading a big camel full of goods, and selling on the street.

They also saw Hu Ji, who had wheat skin like Ayimu, covered with a veil, but showed a sexy waist and soft belly, and showed a charming dance.

They also saw various foreign artists who wore strange costumes and performed magical skills, and who didn't know how long they had traveled.

From the bustle seen on the street alone, the West Market is much more interesting than the East Market.

Not to mention Princess Ankang and Yu'er, even Li Xuan was dazzled.

Unlike the steel forest and neon lights he had experienced before, the scene in front of him has a different flavor.

This place makes Li Xuan feel more alive.

"The scenery created by people."

Li Xuan was thoughtful, listening to the authentic or weird hawking sounds around him, and he actually felt a sense of tranquility.

Although he was in such a lively place, Li Xuan felt a sense of peace, which made him feel at ease.

The small commodities on the roadside quickly attracted the attention of Princess Ankang and Yu'er, making them linger.

It is natural for girls to like shopping, even Princess Ankang and Yu'er are not immune to this.

They picked up things at the roadside stalls, and the stall owners greeted them warmly when they saw the distinguished guests coming.

They walked and stopped along the way, and soon, the eunuchs in flowery clothes carried large and small bags.

Although the three little ones' purses were not as rich as Princess Yuan'an, the things in the West Market were too cheap.

Most of the goods were in copper coins, and they needed to be bought with silver coins, which were considered "luxury goods" in the West Market.

"Miss, we have hand-woven knots here, come and have a look."

Seeing Princess Ankang shopping generously on the road, someone couldn't help but shout.

Li Xuan turned his head and found a little girl about the same age as Yu'er, with an old man standing next to her.

The old man didn't seem to expect the little girl to suddenly greet Princess Ankang, and hurriedly pulled her, and couldn't help frowning.

"Xiao Cui."

The little girl immediately said aggrievedly:

"What's wrong, Grandpa."

"We are selling things, so we have to be more proactive."

Xiao Cui pouted, and didn't understand why Grandpa stopped her from soliciting customers.

The three little ones all noticed the grandfather and grandson, and couldn't help but wonder what knots they were selling.

Princess Ankang asked Yu'er to push her to the stall of the two disciples and grandchildren, and saw that the stall was full of knots made of brightly colored thin ropes.

The knots were woven into various shapes, all vivid and beautiful, with long tassels underneath. Whether tied around the waist or in front of doors and windows, they should look very good.

"Oh, these knots are so beautiful."

Princess Ankang picked up a knot shaped like a little white rabbit and took a closer look.

Seeing that Princess Ankang liked it, Xiao Cui, who had just spoken out to solicit it, smiled proudly at her grandfather, and then continued to explain enthusiastically:

"Miss, these knots are all woven by my grandfather and me. They are our ancestral craftsmanship."

"It only costs five cents for one, and you can get one for free if you buy two, which means three for ten cents."

Xiao Cui took out a few of her most proud knots and showed them to Princess Ankang, hoping to sell one.

Princess Ankang looked at these exquisite little gadgets and immediately loved them.

But after looking for a while, she didn't find the shape she wanted most.

"Well, how long does it take to make a knot?"

"Can you help me make one now?"

Xiao Cui immediately understood what Princess Ankang meant and asked:

"Miss, do you want to order a custom pattern?"

"If you order now, you may have to wait for a while."

Although Xiao Cui really wanted to sell something, she didn't dare to make a promise casually.

If it was done too quickly, the quality would definitely not be up to standard.

"Will it take a long time?"

Princess Ankang asked unwillingly.

"It won't take too long. Miss, you can walk from here to the other side and come back and we can make it."

Hearing this, Princess Ankang was immediately delighted.

She thought she would have to wait for several days.

"That's fine. I want to order one like this."

Princess Ankang said, and picked up Li Xuan in her arms.

Li Xuan was suddenly picked up, still a little dazed, and looked into Xiao Cui's eyes.

"It's just a little black cat, no problem."

Xiao Cui smiled, then reached out and touched Li Xuan's head.

Li Xuan opened his mouth unhappily and tried to bite, which scared Xiao Cui so much that she quickly retracted her hand.

Princess Ankang immediately reached out to cover Li Xuan's mouth and taught him a lesson:

"Ah Xuan, don't scare people."

Then Princess Ankang explained to Xiao Cui:

"He's just teasing you, don't be afraid."

Xiao Cui nodded blankly.

She had teased cats before, but she had never been teased by a cat.

"Miss Xiao Cui, this is our deposit. We will come to pick up the things later."

After Princess Ankang finished speaking, Yu'er left Xiao Cui ten coins.

Xiao Cui did not expect Princess Ankang to be so generous and gave a 100% deposit in advance.

Of course, it was only ten coins.

Although this money was nothing to Princess Ankang, it was a considerable income for Xiao Cui and her grandfather.

"Miss, don't worry."

"I will definitely satisfy you later."

Xiao Cui promised the three children with her chest.

Xiao Cui's grandfather just laughed and said nothing.

After paying the deposit, the three children continued to walk along the streets of Xishi.

When they were tired, they sat down at the snack stall to rest and fill their stomachs.

The three children had a great time eating and playing in Xishi.

But the street was so long, and there was a time to finish it.

When they saw the exit of Xishi appear in front of them, they started to walk back.

The shops on the roadside of West Market are not as grand as those in East Market, but they are very friendly to the people. You don’t have to weigh your wallet before entering, like in East Market.

Even some people who have never been to those places will go around them.

It’s different here in West Market. No matter what the shop sells, you dare to go in and try it out. You will never have to think about it before entering.

The atmosphere of freedom and relaxation is the main theme here.

Of course, there are times when freedom is too much.

Occasionally, people will have quarrels on the road, and then fight. Passers-by on the street will immediately form a circle, and then cheer and cheer on the side, and even take the opportunity to open the market.

But Li Xuan saw it a few times and understood it.

There are real and fake fights on the road. Many of them are in the same group as the one who opened the market, and there are many fake games.

The spectators in West Market also have sharp eyes.

The fights are unclear and there is no beginning or end. Not many people bet when the market opens.

On the contrary, those with causes, processes, and escalation of conflicts were obviously more realistic, and more people bet on them.

The three children saw no less than seven or eight fights in the time they went back and forth.

They also followed the rules when fighting, and they would stop when the time was right. The one who saw blood first would lose.

If the superiors were entangled endlessly, they would just fight until one of them could not stand up. However, no one was killed, which was really interesting.

The three children walked back with the flowery eunuch, ready to go to Xiao Cui's stall to get the custom-made knots.

But when they were about to reach the place, they suddenly found that there were people gathered in front.

The three children, who had seen such scenes several times, were not surprised, thinking that someone was fighting again.

But when they got closer, they found something wrong.

"Old man, you have owed the stall fee for three months."

"Do you really think our Jinqian Gang is a vegetarian?"

"If you can't pay today, use your granddaughter to pay off the debt."

"When I have money, I will redeem your granddaughter."

"Hehehe..."

In the crowd, a burst of obscene laughter sounded, which was particularly harsh.

Li Xuan couldn't help but sneer, thinking in his heart:

"There are still people playing this trick under the feet of the emperor."

"And it's in broad daylight, aren't you afraid that some young master or young lady will come out to do justice?"

Li Xuan is ready to watch the show.

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