Even though the Great Qin Dynasty never prohibited ordinary people from carrying swords, even some public competitions were not prohibited, but some weapons with huge destructive power, and even some practice tools and practice books are all items that are strictly prohibited from being traded and circulated.
Naturally, most of the things that a practitioner can imagine cannot be traded.
However, these things are hidden in the fish market like fish under lotus leaves, and the fish market is just a spontaneously formed market. Many businesses here are naturally illegal.
It's just that this kind of market is on the edge of Changling, under the feet of so many big figures, why can it exist for so long for so many years
At this moment, a young man dressed as a foreigner with thick eyebrows had such doubts in his heart.
He was holding a butter paper umbrella with a somewhat damaged edge, and he was wearing a short black gauze robe that Changling people rarely wear. He didn't wear shoes, and his feet were bare.
The worn-out butter paper umbrella in his hand was huge, but in order to completely cover the body of the person in front of him, his small body was still exposed and completely drenched by the rain.
The person in front of him was a very short young man, dressed as a scholar, with an oval face, his face was extremely delicate, especially his skin was as white as jade, without any blemishes visible.
Looking at the countless overlapping shantytowns in the fish market in front of him, the raindrops were constantly falling like pearls jumping from high to low, the young man with thick eyebrows frowned, and couldn't help asking in a deep voice the young man who was half a head shorter than him in front of him. People, "My lord, why does such a market always exist?"
The young man dressed as a scholar smiled coldly, "Only with the instruction of those two prime ministers, can such a market stay here forever."
The young man with thick eyebrows was still a little puzzled and looked at him suspiciously.
"Illegal transactions can often bring higher profits, and higher profits will allow more desperate people to continuously bring more things."
The young man dressed as a scholar continued coldly: "In recent years, many rare treasures from overseas have been able to reach Changling, and even many overseas barbarians and practitioners have established contact with Changling, not only relying on the waterway of the Wei River, but also It has something to do with the fish market. And for those who sit high on the temple, they can also obtain things that were impossible to obtain from it before, so they adopted an attitude of turning a blind eye and closing one eye, Allow this place to continue to exist. Of course, all those who do business here naturally know what kind of order those people need, so this place is more fair and safe than other large markets in various countries."
"So you must understand that any business must bring greater benefits to people, so that people will be interested in trading with you. And the vast majority of desperadoes will not seek skins from tigers, they will not Those who are far above me can swallow their own transactions at any time." The young man dressed as a scholar turned his head to look at the silent young man with thick eyebrows, and said quietly: "Because there are such basic rules, so I have the confidence to come here and talk.”
…
The roads in the fish market are rugged, muddy and difficult to walk. With a drop of tens of meters, more than ten passages of different heights are separated one after another. For those who don't come often, it is like a maze.
However, for most businessmen in the fish market who do not welcome wanderers at all, they don't mind that the roads become more complicated and more difficult to walk.
Therefore, although the rainy day was very dark, and the roads between shops covered by countless canopies were even darker, but only a few shops raised lanterns.
Occasionally, the faint light of the lanterns seems to be of a different kind, swaying restlessly in the wind.
There were still many people passing through the fish market. Ding Ning put away his umbrella, leaned on it like a cane, and reached the low depths of the fish market with ease.
Because of the heavy rain, many areas at the bottom of the fish market that are usually dry mud ponds have been submerged by water. The water level is only half a meter away from the bottom of most stilted buildings, but even so, there are still many small boats floating on the bottom of the stilted buildings, and wooden basins are still muddy. floating in the muddy water.
Along a rickety wooden path built with sampans, Ding Ning walked into a small building on stilts.
This is a small inkpad shop that also sells some ink, paper and pens.
The owner of the store is a widowed old woman who is over sixty years old. Because she usually doesn’t have much expenses, and most transactions in the fish market require deeds or handprints, so as the only inkpad shop, the sales of inkpads are not bad. I can live on.
Because there is nothing to do at ordinary times, the old woman with gray hair was drinking tea with a rough porcelain cup before she saw Ding Ning. A warm smile suddenly appeared on her wrinkled cheeks, she turned around and took out a plate of dried fruit from a closet next to the door and waited.
"Why is it raining so hard?"
Seeing that Ding Ning just got wet with a pair of straw sandals, the old woman was completely relieved, and took another pair of clean old straw sandals to signal Ding Ning to put on.
Ding Ning smiled and did not refuse. He directly sat on the edge of the stilted building and washed his feet, then put on clean old straw sandals, and then looked left and right at the roof and walls of the stilted building.
There is some water seepage on the roof and walls, but it doesn't look serious.
So Ding Ning was also relieved, sat down on the bench next to the old woman, and said: "I was worried that there was something wrong with your house when I saw the heavy rain yesterday, so I wanted to come and have a look. Put it off till now."
The old woman laughed out loud. Ever since she saw Ding Ning's figure, she became very happy.
"What's the problem?" She couldn't help laughing and said, "You repair my house every once in a while, and you are more diligent than those boatmen repairing the boat. I think the rain will be heavier, and it will last for a few days." , all the houses here are leaking, and I can't leak any of this."
Seeing her smile, Ding Ning's mood became even better. He grabbed a few dried fruits, chewed them, and asked, "Is there anything I need to buy recently? I'll buy it for you later?"
"The firewood, rice, oil and salt are still full, so you just need to rest." The old woman shook her head, seeing Ding Ning's slightly pale face, she couldn't help but shook her head again, and asked lovingly: "What do you eat for lunch?" Have you passed?"
"I've eaten it, fish noodles with pickled cabbage." Ding Ning smiled.
The old woman was a little unhappy, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Then stay with me for dinner."
"Okay." Ding Ning nodded in agreement, "I want to eat pancakes."
"I'll make braised fish and waxed chicken drumsticks for you." The old woman gave him a reproachful look, but there was more meaning in her eyes, "Are pancakes so delicious? Back then you were young and just left Up to here, it is normal for me to make you a pancake, but you still remember about that pancake. If you are doing business, it is just a pancake, but in the end you have done things for so many years for others, this is a loss. It's a big loss."
"There is no loss." Ding Ning said with a smile: "I just do some convenient things, mostly just talking with you, listening to stories, and eating a lot of free meals."
The old woman shook her head, with mixed emotions in her eyes: "Speaking with you, chatting, this is the greatest gift for a lonely old man without nephews. Many people died in Changling before, like There are many people at my age, but very few people are as lucky as me."
Ding Ning didn't say anything for a while, and lowered his head like a squirrel, gnawing on dried fruit.
One winter a few years ago, he passed by here, and the kind old lady kindly handed him a hot pancake, and then he often came here to see the old lady and do what he could.
But he knew very well in his heart that this was not a matter of pancakes.
This is because he owes her.
He owes a lot of people, and he only hopes that he can pay it off slowly, or can make up for it.
…
As usual, he chatted with the old lady for a while, and after listening to her talk about some recent news about the fish market, Ding Ning took his leave and left for the time being, and turned to the lower and deeper fish market as usual.
At this time, Song Shenshu should enter the fish market.
Song Shenshu is a junior treasurer of the Jingshiku and an acquaintance of Ding Ning.
However, unlike the old woman who opened the inkpad shop, Ding Ning did not owe Song Shenshu, but he owed Ding Ning.
In the past few years of silent attention, Ding Ning knew some habits of Song Shenshu, and also knew what difficulties he had encountered in his practice.
So he was sure that Song Shenshu would definitely come to fetch the tortoise gall today, and would definitely appear in front of him.