The pork belly was brought up, and the merchant boss picked up the fattest piece with chopsticks with his left hand, but he was not in a hurry to eat, he took a sip of wine first, and when the wine entered his abdomen, when the heat was about to rise, he put the fat meat in his mouth, chewed it carefully, swallowed it slowly, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten pork. ”

Xiao Jinyanqi said, "Isn't Your Excellency a helper, why can't you even eat meat?"

Boss Shang sighed, "The landlord's family has no surplus grain." Not long after our Qingzhu Gang was established, the situation in the rivers and lakes has not been very good recently, and the gang can't recruit people, so last year it was hard to trust the relationship, spent some money, and attached a laughing hall, and as a result, a laughing hall was also disbanded. Seeing that the gang was unsustainable, the gang walked, and was cornered by the digging of the corner of the wall, so he ran to Stone Town to try his luck. Hey, the road to entrepreneurship is difficult and obstructive!"

While sighing that the rivers and lakes are not easy, while dividing five by two, eating a plate of pork belly into his stomach, Shang Boss said, "It's not a secret, this God-given gift is useless to us, we want to get it, it's to curry favor with the Zhao City Lord of Yinyang City!"

"Zhao Lanjiang?"

"Shhhh ”

Xiao Jinyan smiled slightly, he didn't expect the name Zhao Lanjiang to have such a deterrent effect in Xijiang City, and he asked again, "I haven't said anything about Yubi yet." ”

Shang Lao Dao, "Now, there will be a joy in Yinyang City, that is, the city lord's wife is about to give birth, a few months ago, there was a fortune teller to Yinyang, to Mrs. Zhao a fate, said that this son he will become a big weapon in the day, and predicted that there will be a treasure born in Stone City, the day when the young city lord was born, when the treasure came to the world. ”

Later, the stonemason found a strange stone on the stone wall of the stone town, but no matter how much the knife was chopped and chiseled, the strange stone could not be removed, and sure enough, the fortune teller's words were answered. ”

Yuwen Shuangqi said, "I've heard that melons and fruits will fall off naturally when they are ripe, but I haven't heard that a stone and melons are ripe. ”

Boss Shang said lightly, "I haven't heard of it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist." Five hundred years ago, didn't we hear of Shujian Mountain?"

Yu Wenshuang was speechless.

Shang Lao Dao, "We are fishing in troubled waters this time to see if there is a chance to get that stone, martial arts or something, and there is nothing to ask for, we just want to use this piece of jade to attach the relationship between the city lord of Zhao, and in the future, our Qingzhu Gang brothers will have a fall." ”

After that, Boss Shang got up and said goodbye, "That strange stone was born, it must have been a matter between these two days, we have to hurry up and take a step forward and pick a better position." ”

After Qingzhu helped everyone leave, Xiao Jinyan said with emotion, "I just became the city lord and became a father, I really am a winner in life, but I don't know who the city lord's wife is?"

When Zhao Lanjiang and Yang Xiaoxiao were in the spring breeze for a while, Xiao Jinyan didn't know it, and then entered Xichu and passed by them. Don't you know, after Zhao Lanjiang became the city lord, he and Yang Xiaoxiao made up the wedding, and the twenty cities of Yinyang, the dignitaries and dignitaries of the surrounding prefectures and prefectures all came to congratulate, but Xiao Jinyan was missing, and Zhao Lanjiang also deliberately vacated a seat on the right hand side.

Yu Wenshuang said, "Brother Xiao, it seems that we came at the right time. Zhao Lanjiang is a father, we have to show a little. ”

Xiao Jinyan pondered for a while, "It's better to give this donkey to his son as a gift." Yu Wenshuang scolded Xiao Jinyan for not doing it right, and said, "If it is really as the merchant boss said, you might as well take that piece of jade and give it to Zhao Lanjiang." ”

Xiao Jinyan had this intention, but when he thought that if he really snatched the jade, not to mention being the enemy of the various sects on the rivers and lakes, if he accidentally exposed Yu Wenshuang's identity, it would inevitably cause a lot of unnecessary trouble, so he hesitated.

Yu Wenshuang was very smart, guessed his thoughts, and said, "It's better for us to go away, so that we are not afraid of being recognized by others." ”

Xiao Jinyan changed into Xue Donglai's mask, and Yu Wenshuang changed into men's clothes, glued a beard, and became a bearded man.

Yu Wenshuang has a graceful figure, and people with a discerning eye know that she is a woman at a glance, so she stuffed cotton wool in her loose clothes, and her whole body became bloated, but it was just a matter of height, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Xiao Jinyan looked at her and said, "From now on, my name is Xue Donglai, and your name is Yu Wenxiang." "This name is taken from each of the three characters of Yuwenshuang and put together at random.

Yu Wenshuang said dissatisfied, "It's too ugly." My name is Yu Donglai, and your name is Xue Wenxiang. ”

Xiao Jinyan explained to him the origin of Xue Donglai's name and his reputation in the rivers and lakes.

Not to mention that it doesn't matter, as soon as Yu Wenshuang heard it, his anger came up, "I said how many masks do you have."

use, you have to use Xue Dong, dare to love and still want to be a thief. ”

Xiao Jinyan wanted to cry without tears, no matter how Xiao Jinyan coaxed her, Yu Wenshuang always ignored him, and the two fought and went to the north of Stone City.

......

In the middle of Stone Town, there is a simple mansion, which is the temporary residence of the city lord's mansion.

After Chu Xiang assumed the position of city lord, he never stopped for half a year. Originally, most of the 30,000 old troops of Western Chu stayed in Stone City and became civilians in the city, and the three people of the Northern Zhou Feng Chitose saw that the Tuoba Niu people were dead, and there was no way to live when they returned to Shangjing, so they simply stayed and helped Chu Xiang create Stone City together.

In the past six months, the construction of Stone Town has been quite effective, however, problems have also followed.

The contradiction between the Han and the Chu people is intensifying day by day, and fights and brawls have become the norm.

Recently, there have been several large-scale fights, ostensibly because of the problem of unequal pay for the same work between the Han and Chu people when the city was founded, but in their bones they are people of two races, regardless of their living habits or ideology, they have never been able to pee in the same gourd.

Zhao Lanjiang was also simple, he had long seen that the lama named Turpan in Xihuguo Temple was not pleasing to the eye, and directly drove Turpan here, anyway, there are many people in Chu who believe in Lamaism, so he can be regarded as a good use here.

Turpan was extremely reluctant at first, but when he came, a lecture came down, with nearly 1,000 listeners and followers. It is not the same as the time when he was squeezed to eat raw rice in Yinyang City, Turpan suddenly found the joy of life and was willing to live here.

At this moment, Turpan is beside Chu Xiang's ear, pleading about the establishment of the Great Huguo Temple, and Chu Xiang wants craftsmen and manpower, the stone city has just been built, and there are many places to spend money, Chu Xiang is not willing to pay for it at all, but Turpan is like kraft candy, pestering him.

In the end, Chu Xiang had no choice, so he said, "I don't want money, but you are a wise person, Grand Lama, and I will fully support you spiritually." ”

Turpan said, "City Lord, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice." ”

Chu Xiang said, "You are a monk, you can cultivate the temple, make a merit book, and donate money from each family, and you will use your three-inch incorruptible tongue to influence them." He took out a piece of broken silver from his bosom, "This is the two taels of silver that I personally sponsored you, and the foundation of Stone City will depend on you in the future!"

After sending Turpan away, Chu Xiang's ears were much clearer. He has more important things to do, and that is the "God-given Gift" in the north of Stone Town.

What bullshit.

This is clearly a trick made by Zhao Lanjiang!

A few months ago, Chu Xiang complained to Zhao Lanjiang that Stone City was a barren place, and the terrain was not good, and if the city was built, tens of thousands of people would gather here, and there would be no vitality. The only way is to take advantage of the border between Stone Town and Chu State to build Stone Town into a free trade city.

In this regard, Stone Town has a natural advantage. The terrain is vast, the weather is dry, and storage can be established, which is incomparable to a military fortress like Hulukou. To put it bluntly, it is to legalize the smuggling between the two countries through tax reduction and tax exemption measures, and by the way, it also uses the relationship of Feng Chitose to bring the Northern Zhou into it. Only in this way will Stone Town have a way out.

Zhao Lanjiang thought of doing it, boldly did it, first use this opportunity to beat the reputation of Stone City, the law does not prohibit it, it can be done, as for whether the court will care about it in the future, that is a matter for the future.

Setting this tone, there is one thing that Stone Town lacks, and that is: talent.

That's why there is this "godsend".

This piece of heaven-sent gem is now on the North Mountain, strictly guarded by Yin Yangyi, no one is allowed to approach, and there are very few people who have really seen it.

The recent rumors on the rivers and lakes have been spread from Stone City and Yinyang City, and the more they talk about it, the more mysterious it becomes, there are treasures born, which attract all the major factions in the rivers and lakes to come and fight, as for how it ends in the end, it is Zhao Lanjiang's business.

In the past six months, Zhao Lanjiang has hoarded a large number of goods here, such as grapes and wine, pearl agate, and spices from the Western Regions, as well as war horses and sheepskins from Western Chu, and the prices are very low.

Zhao Lanjiang didn't think about letting them go back, at least not letting them go home empty-handed. The various gates are here, and Zhao Lanjiang has a way to let them chop their hands, and Chu Qiu's task is to take the opportunity to discuss trade matters with the people of the various gates on the rivers and lakes, and it is best to set up a stronghold in Stone City.

With a stronghold, there is a wealth rolling in.

This is a temptation that man cannot resist

。

Zhao Lanjiang is a reckless man, he doesn't know the way of economy, and these ghost ideas are all from the handwriting of one person, that is, Chai Gongwang.

This former chief of staff of Li Xiancheng has few Chinese words, but his ability to accumulate wealth is first-class, and he was used by Li Xiancheng to do clerical work before, which really buried his talent.

After Zhao Lanjiang became the city lord, Chai Gongwang thought that Zhao Lanjiang would settle accounts after the autumn, and he was cautiously worried and scared for a long time, and then Zhao Lanjiang put down the mustard and chatted with him for a day and a night, and was hired by Zhao Lanjiang as the director of the City Lord's Mansion, so he was desperate to do things for Zhao Lanjiang.

Throughout the afternoon, Chu Xiang had been busy meeting with the guests of various gates. Zhao Lanjiang gave a death order to build three commercial routes in the Central Plains, Jiangnan and Lingnan, and gave him a congratulatory gift to his future son at that time.

Back then, when Zhao Lanjiang captured him alive in Hengduan Mountain, the two were still enemies, and in the blink of an eye, Zhao Lanjiang had become the lord of Yinyang City, and his name was shocking to the west, and Chu Xiang became his subordinate. Chu Xiang no longer had any hostility towards Zhao Lanjiang, not to mention, Zhao Lanjiang also assured him that if he had the opportunity in the future, he would help him return to Xijing City.

......

Xiao Jinyan and Yu Wenshuang walked in the stone city, there were many simple shops, all kinds of goods were readily available, and the price was not high, a box of rouge from the Western Regions, but a few tens of dollars, these things, transferred to the capital, were sold for a few taels of silver. You don't need to go out of the Ming Dynasty, you can buy high-quality and low-cost goods, so it attracts many merchants to come.

There are also many people in the rivers and lakes in the city, there are people from the eight major sects such as Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, etc., as well as some people from second- and third-rate small gangs, some of them have come to Stone City for more than a month, and they have gradually learned about this newly built city in the days when they are waiting for the birth of the heaven-given bi. There is only one godsend, but there are countless opportunities to do business here, and in addition to spending money on goods, some people have begun to wonder whether to establish a foothold here.

Those who came were all second-generation disciples of various sects.

This kind of treasure grabbing, the heads of various sects and the elders of the characters are not very suitable, after all, they are famous characters in the rivers and lakes for a long time, and they cherish their feathers, not to mention that this is still the territory of Zhao Barrage River in Hidden Yang City.

Who is Zhao Lanjiang? The new generation of Golden Sword King, who cut Li Xiancheng in one sword, killed the Tuoba Niuren, and defeated the Western Chu army, has a unique reputation. If these leaders come here and come here, do they want to see Zhao Lanjiang? If Zhao Lanjiang proposes a martial arts competition, how should they deal with it?

Winning is unlikely.

How will you mix in the rivers and lakes in the future?

Therefore, the second generation of disciples is the most suitable, first, to increase the experience of the rivers and lakes, and secondly, to meet friends with martial arts.

Yu Wenshuang looked at the bustling crowd, shuttling through the humble city, and asked Xiao Jinyan, "What do you see here?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Vitality and vitality. In a few years, this stone city will become the second largest city outside the Hidden Sun City in the western frontier, no, even the first largest city. ”

Yu Wenshuang said, "Back then, my father had a very high opinion of Zhao Lanjiang, and I was puzzled, thinking that he was just a reckless man who knew martial arts, so it seems that my eyesight is still worse than my father." ”

Xiao Jinyan laughed, "I also admire Yuwen's predecessors very much, I don't dare to say anything else, just because he didn't choose those sons of Shangshu and a few princes of the palace, but chose me, this son-in-law's vision is the only one in the world!"

Yu Wenshuang scolded with a smile, "You go and ask Zhao Lanjiang, if the city wall is not strong enough, you can use your cheek to repair the city wall." ”

While speaking, a woman in a green shirt passed by the two of them, and the woman glanced at "Xue Donglai", her eyes showed displeasure, and she said disdainfully, "Lewd thief." With that, he walked north of Stone Town.

Yu Wenshuang looked at him with a smile.

Xiao Jinyan said, "I don't know that Li Qianjue. ”

Yu Wenshuang nodded, "Well, I don't know, I can still call someone's name so quickly, this is the closed disciple of the head of Emei, and he looks like a fairy." Is Xiao Daxia tempted?"

Xiao Jinyan waved his hand again and again, explaining, "The three of us traveled west that day, and we spent some time in the same boat with her and Sun Shaoming of the Imperial Sword Villa. ”

Yuwen Shuang said sourly, "A hundred years of repairing in the same boat, and you still say it's nothing?

Xiao Jinyan found that Yu Wenshuang was arrogant and quite unreasonable.

He looked in the direction where Li Qianjue was walking, and saw that she was laughing with the old man, Xiao Jinyan was shocked when he saw the old man, and turned around and left.

Yu Wenshuang asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Jinyan said in a low voice, "I met the enemy." ”