Standing on the bow of the ship, the ancient city wall of Hangzhou is majestic and magnificent.

Cao Chuan and his entourage crossed east along Tiaoxi, crossed the West Lake, drove into the canal, ten miles away from the city, and the place where they entered was already a prosperous scene: teahouses, wine shops, rice shops, densely populated, shops gathered, boats on the canal one after another, connected from end to end, the barge was full of force, the merchants were noisy, and the bustling came and went.

Chu Jianli has been doing business for many years, and he is naturally no stranger to Hangzhou City, and at this time he also went out of the cabin to join Cao Chuan, talking and laughing and pointing out the scenery along the way.

Five miles north of the city, once you pass the Guanyin Temple, you will enter the boundary of the city.

From here, the traffic jam began, and the boat stopped and went. A large number of salt stacks began to appear on the bank of the river, rice warehouses, and not far from the Chengguan toll station - Desheng Dam. After queuing up to pay the road maintenance fee, the bow of the boat turned to the west, crossed the Desheng Bridge, turned around and went east, zigzag, squeezed and rubbed, until the time of the palm, the group had to get off the boat, standing outside the Wulin Gate in the north of the city.

Chu Jianli was familiar with the road, ignored the many large and small residences in the city, and walked straight into an inn called "Ruifuju". Seeing the cordial comrade-like whispers between the third master and the shopkeeper, Cao Chuan knew that this was probably the designated reception place for the heroes.

The shopkeeper quickly arranged a place for everyone to live, and the courtyard with two entrances was quite spacious for twelve people. Cao Daoren is naturally the old rule, and he occupies a secluded side room in the backyard alone for retreat, and the main room is left for Chu Jianli.

In this way, everyone eats a big meal, and then takes turns to take a barrel bath and get a good night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Cao Chuan got up to clean up and stopped, originally wanted to discuss the matter of the house with the third master, but found that Lao Chu was very busy, and kept calling people over to whisper, and then sent people out.

In that case, let's go our separate ways.

called Zhao Si over, and then ordered the three companions casually, and a few people swayed and went straight to the inner city.

After Cao Gongzi entered the city, he walked to the city, watched the rivers and mountains, and found that the West Lake Avenue, Wulin Road, and Stadium Road in his memory were all rivers at this time, and the entire Hangzhou City was a water network that was wide and horizontal, just like the legendary Venice Water City.

Feeling the impermanence of the world and the vicissitudes of life, the group walked down the city wall and walked all the way to the bustling place. In the early morning, the streets are already lively, fishermen selling shrimp and crabs, vegetable farmers carrying burdens, and vendors in short shirts pass one after another, and from time to time there are rich servants dressed in silk and satin who huddle around the gorgeous sedan chairs and shout away.

Along the bluestone paved road, the group began to shop in the rows of shops along the street. Cao Chuan's purpose today is to shop, by the way, investigate the market situation, and see if there are any good things that can be brought back for some money, it doesn't matter what the store sells, he will enter the store now.

The harvest is still not small, when the group came out of the ready-to-wear shop, the companion became a slave, and even he himself was fooled into a silk sermon robe of Su Fang, according to the shopkeeper, this is a popular style nowadays.

After a while, when he came out of the Treasure Pavilion, the scattered jade pendant ring sachets on his body were also fully equipped, and Cao Gongzi also had an extra bamboo silk fan in his hand.

Xin Ma Youzhu wandered around for a day, and at noon he also called a table at the hotel by the West Lake. In general, the metropolis of the Ming Dynasty gave him the same feeling. It's lively, it's very real, but it's far less convenient than the Hengdian you're familiar with, there are too many beggars along the way, not to mention, you have to be careful with mines at any time, and you have to change your shoes when you step on it. When you cross the bridge, you can see dead people underneath, and overall, the user experience is not very good.

Cao Dagongzi, who does not learn and has no skills, naturally does not know that some of the beggars he saw on the streets today are just appetizers under the disaster of the Xiaoice River at the end of the Ming Dynasty, from next year, that is, the first year of Chongzhen, the unprecedented flood, drought, locust, tide and plague will take turns to appear, and a large number of displaced people will continue to wash the rich Jiangnan region, and the scene of hell on earth will not be long before the Ming Empire falls......

Of course, today's harvest is not without it: a set of old furniture made of rosewood. Cao Chuan had already asked the shopkeeper to pack up and send it back to the inn, and other than that, there was nothing else.

It wasn't until the evening that a few people returned to the inn with their teeth picked, and just walked to the door of the inner courtyard, and met Lao Chu to send people out.

The one who was sent out looked like he was from a rich and noble family, round and fat, dressed in a thin silk robe, with small eyes narrowed into a line on his chubby face, and his voice was not small: "Third master, don't worry, Liu He will go back and tell the master, there will be news tomorrow." ”

Chu Jianli also smiled and arched his hand: "So there is Lao Liu in charge." ”

"The third master is polite, if it weren't for the fact that my young master has been sick recently, and the master has no intention of foreign affairs, he must have wanted to see the third master, fortunately, the coming day will be long, and there will always be a time to get close......"

While speaking, the two walked out of the courtyard gate, and when Steward Liu saw Cao Chuan, he was slightly stunned, and passed by with a slight nod.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw that the rosewood tables and chairs he ordered had been placed in the courtyard, Cao Chuan put the ring in without saying a word, and then went to the hall to wait, and it didn't take long for Chu Jianli to send people back.

As soon as the two communicated, Cao Gongzi realized that when he was shopping all over the street, he had already met with representatives of various merchants, dart bureaus, and fellow practitioners. In short, all the forces that have business on the Huihang Ancient Road and some groups on the road will probably already know that Chu San, a big insect in western Zhejiang, has come to Hangzhou City to do business.

Cao Chuan was surprised, and originally planned to ask, is it really good to be so public? But if you think about it, forget it, I have only been in the bandit den for so many days, and I am far from understanding how these ancients acted, since Chu Jianli did this, it is impossible to force the number in his heart, so he should ask something else.

Here was about to open his mouth to talk about the house, but the third master seemed to know what he was thinking, and said with a smile that the house had already been settled.

Then he began to explain.

The chubby Liu steward is the steward of Liu Yaozu's family, a big Hui merchant in Hangzhou. The Liu family and the screen village are strategic partners, and they have dealt with Liu Yaozu's parents and grandparents since the early years.

The old Liu family also started by relying on businessmen earlier, and the caravan had to be taken every year on the Huihang Road, and the successive owners of the screen village were friendly with the Liu family. In two ways, he sold his teammates with illicit messages, and helped to rob the road a lot. Now that the Liu family is in full swing, a few of the scholars who have become officials, and in Liu Yaozu's generation, there is also a reputation as a regular supervisor, and the Liu family is considered to have washed their feet and gone ashore, and entered the wealthy gentry family, and the business is getting bigger and bigger.

When Cao Chuan hadn't come back just now, he had already talked in detail with Liu He, the second steward of the Liu family, for a long time, and explained the recent events in the mountains one by one.