"Sir, a caravan is entering the city!" The yamen runner in charge of guarding the city gate received the news that a group of people on horseback and in carriages were coming this way. He was so happy that he quickly pulled someone to take his place and quickly ran towards the prefectural government.
Pei Che looked at the sweaty yamen runner and said, "Sit down and rest for a while. It's a good thing that someone is coming, but we still have to follow the rules and don't neglect them."
These merchants came from far away, and they must be interested in the tea here. If there is no profit, they will not stop and come to us. If the people of Cangzhou see them coming, they will be very friendly to them, which will make these merchants feel that there is room for bargaining. If they deliberately try to bargain, it will be difficult to deal with them.
The yamen runner took a deep breath, and after hearing what he said, his excitement calmed down a little. He said, "Sir, I understand."
"That's good to know. Check them more strictly at the door, and then have someone lead them to a nearby inn, so that they won't get lost when they first arrive." Pei Che said.
The three inns were designated by Jiang Miao to receive merchants after he inspected the merchants in Cangzhou. They were fair in business, had a good inn environment, and provided high-quality services, which must have left a good impression on the merchants.
"yes!"
After the yamen runner responded, he rested for a while, then stood up and went to the city gate. Others didn't know why he left suddenly, and they all came to ask him.
He explained the situation and then began to assign tasks to each person, telling them to be in their best spirits and not let those people outside look down on them.
This group of people had a strong sense of honor and disgrace. After hearing this, those who were watching the city gate immediately divided into two rows and stood at the gate in high spirits. Their sharp eyes swept over every person who passed by, and their hands holding the spears were extremely powerful.
This is what a businessman named Hu from Liangjing saw. He couldn't help but sigh with the people around him: "I heard that Cangzhou is poor, and I thought the people here were all listless. I didn't expect them to be so energetic."
Another person said, "A broken ship still has 3,000 nails. Even if Cangzhou is not as good as other places, the rich still have some. Besides, this city gate is the face of Cangzhou. If it is not decorated well, won't it make people laugh?"
As the two were talking, the convoy arrived at the city gate. Just as the leader was about to speak, the yamen runner said, "Please stop the car, dismount, and prepare your own written documents so that we can take a look at them."
After hearing this, the Hu merchants frowned. In the past, when they went to some small cities to do business, the people there not only did not stop their cars to check, but also treated them very flatteringly, hoping that they would buy more things. This Cangzhou has always been poor and weak, but its style of doing things is the same as those of the rich big cities.
"Please cooperate with us." The bailiff was worried that they would not move, so he raised his voice and shouted again.
Hu Shang and the others looked at each other, all of them looking a little depressed. They had taken several days to get here from the official road. If they turned back now, wouldn't it be a waste of time? Thinking of this, they got off the carriages and took out the things from their bags for them to check.
Although these yamen runners didn't know many words, they could tell the authenticity of the official seals on the door. After confirming that everyone's identity was beyond doubt, they also lifted the curtain to see if there were any Tibetans inside.
Seeing these merchants staring at them with frowns, the leading yamen runner said, "This is also for the safety of the people in the city. I hope you won't mind." After that, he waved his hand to let them pass and asked people to remove the barricades blocking the city gate.
After these merchants went up again and drove their horses into the city, they were in a dilemma. It was their first time in Cangzhou and they didn't know the market here. It would be fine if they couldn't find a shop to stay in for a while, but even if they did, what if others would treat them as fat sheep and slaughter them? It was difficult to enter Cangzhou, so it must be difficult to leave the city when the time came. Wouldn't they be left here to be slaughtered
The more they thought about it, the uglier their faces became. They thought Cangzhou was a place like a den of thieves and bandits. After thinking this way, the yamen runners who originally looked full of energy were also filled with bandit spirits.
"Ah?" The man on the horse came to his senses and pointed at himself, "Are you calling me?"
The yamen runner nodded and said, "Dear guests, you have come from afar, and you may not be very familiar with Cangzhou. Please follow me. There is an inn not far ahead. You can settle down first and rest well before talking about other things."
If someone is too nice to you, he is either a traitor or a thief. These merchants were a little wary, wondering if the government and the merchants were colluding to cheat them out of their money. They had encountered this before, too. They were all right beforehand, but when they paid the bill, they changed their faces.
"Everything there is clearly priced. I'm only responsible for taking you there. It's up to you whether you want to stay there or not." The runner saw their hesitation and defensiveness and said unhappily.
Seeing this, the merchant on horseback bowed and said, "Thank you very much, sir." They were a group of people anyway, and if they found that it was not what they thought, they would just leave.
The yamen runner led the way in front, and they followed slowly behind. When they found that they were walking on some main streets and not on the alleys with few people, they breathed a sigh of relief. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they came to a street. This street was relatively quiet compared to other streets, because there were not many businesses in Cangzhou in recent years, and most of the inns that were open were losing more money than making money. Some of them had already closed down, but this one had to continue to operate because it was passed down from their ancestors and they didn't know how to make a living. It was enough to make a living, and he didn't dare to hope for anything else.
A few days ago, there were always people hanging around his store. He didn't know what happened. Just when he was worried, he suddenly received good news, saying that his inn was designated by the government as a residence for traveling merchants. If he seized this opportunity, his business might be saved!
These days, his heart was filled with anticipation, so when he saw the yamen runners coming with a group of merchants, he was immediately excited.
The yamen runners brought the merchants to the inn, said hello and left. They did not force them to stay, nor did they say anything more about the inn.
The caravan members calmed down, knowing that they had just overthought. However, if you are not vigilant when you are out, you will not go far.
"Dear guests, would you like to stay in our hotel? Our inn has three types of guest rooms: upper, middle and lower. We also have dormitories. There is also a place to keep horses in the backyard, and there are special people to cut grass and feed the horses..." Manager Ding of the Fulai Inn gritted his teeth, stepped forward and listed the advantages of the inn one by one.
He wasn't as good at talking as those people outside, who could praise their own products to the heavens and the earth. But it was this kind of simple words that made these merchants feel quite good. And they found that there was indeed a wooden sign outside the inn, which listed a lot of items.
Compared to other places, the inn here is really affordable, and this way of clearly marking prices is also rare. From the price of a room for one night to the price of a stack of pickles, everything is marked on it. The most interesting thing is that the paper is stamped with the seal of the government, stating that if there is any fraud, you can report it to the government, and after investigation, you will be compensated three times.
"How about living here?" Hu Shang turned around and asked.
The others nodded. Since the government dared to make such a promise, why wouldn't they believe it? Everyone went into the inn to check in according to their own requirements. The waiter who followed them came forward to lead the horses and carts and took them to the backyard to rest. The caravan of 35 people checked in.
In the following days, several more caravans arrived.
(End of this chapter)