Upon hearing these words, Princess Changle and Princess Chengyang nodded like little chickens pecking at grains.
Lin Shen was about to get off the carriage.
Princess Changle hastily said, "Just ride in my carriage then..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt that her words were inappropriate and looked at Lin Shen with eager eyes, timidly saying, "This... should be fine, right..."
After all, Lin Shen's words were deeply imprinted in her mind.
Would this behavior not be approved by Lin Shen?
Lin Shen sat down casually, nodding gently, "Of course it's fine."
"What you need to know is that you, as a princess, the coachman, and those Thousand Bull Guards, are all equal in terms of dignity."
"They drive your carriage, work hard not because they are inferior to you, but simply because they receive a salary to do their duty."
Princess Changle nodded in confusion, becoming even more puzzled about these things.
Lin Shen's words were somewhat incomprehensible to her.
But as long as her words didn't anger Lin Shen, she was very happy.
Princess Changle asked, "So where are we going?"
Lin Shen thought for a moment, "Let's go to the West Market first. It's closer to my supermarket."
Princess Changle nodded.
Princess Chengyang poked her head out, instructing the Thousand Bull Guards outside, and the carriage started rolling towards the West Market.
The West Market and East Market were the economic centers of Chang'an City.
Almost all the merchants, big and small, had shops in these two places.
These two economic centers were strictly controlled by the Great Tang.
Whether they were ordinary people, the Jinwu Guards, or even the Forbidden Army, a large number of troops were deployed here.
The department in charge here was called the Bureau of Market Regulation.
The highest official was the Market Prefect.
From this, one could see that the merchant class was not highly regarded in the Great Tang.
The Market Prefect in charge of the entire market was only a seventh-ranked official.
After Lin Shen and his party entered the West Market, the Market Prefect received the news.
He broke out in a cold sweat.
The King of Chu and the two princesses had arrived at the West Market!
He, the highest official of the West Market, hadn't even heard of this news.
If it were just the princesses, it would be understandable.
After all, these princesses would occasionally sneak out of Chang'an City...
And they didn't have much real power in their hands either.
But there was also the King of Chu among them!
The Market Prefect hurried over and happened to see the King of Chu stopping at the entrance of a restaurant, gesturing with his hand.
He didn't know what he was saying to the two princesses.
The Market Prefect approached, bowing respectfully, "I didn't know His Highness the King of Chu had arrived. Please forgive my negligence, Your Highness."
Lin Shen waved his hand, "I just came to take a look around. May I know who you are?"
The Market Prefect said, "I am the Market Prefect of the Bureau of Market Regulation, responsible for overseeing and maintaining the operation of the West Market."
Lin Shen nodded, looking at the Market Prefect with a slightly brighter gaze.
He was currently looking for a suitable shop.
If he could have this Market Prefect's help, wouldn't it be more convenient?
Lin Shen said, "There is something I need your help with. Do you have time?"
The Market Prefect nodded repeatedly, "Please, Your Highness, just tell me."
Lin Shen continued, "I have a Ruyi Supermarket. You should know about it, right?"
The Market Prefect nodded, well aware of this information.
He even thought about persuading this shop to move to the West Market.
But before he could take action, the owner of this Ruyi Supermarket had become the King of Chu in the entire Great Tang...
Lin Shen continued, "Recently, there have been many customers in the store, and my shop is small, unable to accommodate many customers at once. So I'm thinking, can I find a suitable storefront in the West Market to relocate my supermarket?"
The Market Prefect asked, "Does Your Highness have any requirements?"
Lin Shen thought for a moment and said, "At least a two-story building with three contiguous shops."
The Market Prefect opened his mouth, somewhat taken aback.
A two-story building with three contiguous shops?
How big of a shop did His Highness the King want to open...
Even in the West Market, such two-story buildings were rare, let alone three contiguous ones.
The Market Prefect scratched his head and thought for a while, suddenly remembering.
In the West Market, there did exist shops that met Lin Shen's requirements.
The Market Prefect bowed, "Your Highness, please follow me."
He led the way, and Lin Shen's party followed behind him, bypassing an alley and arriving at their destination.
A row of connected houses.
In the middle was a four-room, two-story building, with many merchants and customers coming and going. The business of these four shops was exceptionally brisk.
Lin Shen furrowed his brows, "All these shops seem to be doing business. Would they be willing to give them to me?"
The Market Prefect patted his horse and said, "With His Highness the King's identity, they would naturally be willing to give them up."
Lin Shen waved his hand.
If it were to deceive Li Shimin or other nobles in Chang'an City, he would definitely do it happily. After all, these nobles standing in the ruling class, regardless of whether they were active or not, were essentially wealthy by sucking the blood of the lower class.
But to deceive these ordinary commoners...
Lin Shen couldn't bring himself to do it.
If he did, what would be the difference between him and those nobles?
"Forget it, I can't do something so domineering. Are there any other shops, preferably ones that are not being operated or have poor business?" Lin Shen sighed and said softly.
The Market Prefect's heart skipped a beat.
He nervously said, "Your Highness, you don't need to burden yourself so much. It's a great blessing for them to be able to do things for His Highness the King. Besides, the owners of these shops are not people of the Great Tang."
Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Lin Shen frowned.
But the last sentence swallowed the words of reprimand that he wanted to say.
Lin Shen asked, "These shops are not owned by people of the Great Tang?"
The Market Prefect nodded, "That's right, these shops are owned by Persians, Turks, and even Arabs..."
Lin Shen nodded, sneering, "So they are not people of the Great Tang. Then go inform them that these shops will belong to me from now on."
"Next time they come to my supermarket, I'll give them two hundred taels of silver for each shop. It won't be considered taking advantage of them for nothing."
The Market Prefect beamed with joy, nodding vigorously, "Yes."
Princess Changle, puzzled on the side, looked at Lin Shen in confusion, "Big brother, didn't you just say
that everyone is equal in dignity?"
But now, Lin Shen's actions were completely different from what he had just said...
Lin Shen raised his hand, rubbing Princess Changle's head, and smiled, "What I just told you all had a premise."
"The person must be from the Great Tang."
"If they are not from the Great Tang, then there is no need to regard them as human beings. Do you understand?"
The Market Prefect raised his head arrogantly on the side.