Ling Qingyu took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. Although she had seen the riverside during the Qingming Festival (Chinese Memorial Day which falls every first week of April) before and had imagined the prosperity of this area in regular days, she was still shocked by the scenery in front of her.
Along the Qiantang River, there is a busy wharf. It was so busy that boats in the river are connected end to end. On the wharf, a lot of porters are unloading goods. There are also various vendors around the are, some selling food and some selling other miscellaneous items.
From the pier extending out is a neighborhood with rows of houses and businesses. It includes tea houses, wine shops, butcher shops as well as specialized shops that deal with silk, satin, jewelry, spices, incense, paper horses (prayer prints of Chinese gods), shoes, etc.
In addition, there are shops that provide specific services such as medical clinics, cart repairs, fortune telling, face shaping and plastic surgery. All kinds of businesses are available and there is always an endless flow of people walking along the streets.
Ling Qingyu identified the current era and this should definitely be a parallel world. The events and the flow of history was different here.
In this world, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin did not become emperor, but only a duke. The founder of the country was Shizong Chai Rong of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In the early period of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were continuous wars. After thirty years of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Taizong reigns, the south was finally unified and a peace agreement was reached with the Liao Dynasty.
After another sixty years of peace and prosperity, the seas were opened and the restrictions on trade and commerce were gradually relaxed. The economy of the Great Zhou Dynasty became even more prosperous. Ling Qingyu compared what she knew from her previous world to what she knew so far about this world. She is basically living in the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, but with some key differences.
In the Northern Song Dynasty of her previous world, because Zhao Kuangyin was the emperor, he always valued civil affairs over military ones while the subsequent emperors after him were quite unreliable. In the Zhou Dynasty, the position of military generals was still relatively high.
The emperors were even more unreliable than the Northern Song Dynasty. The emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty liked money, while the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty liked luxury goods, especially the current Emperor Xiwen who was in power.
Emperor Xiwen wanted to fill the palace every year with good jewelry and spices. He loved using huge amounts of the finest wood, gold, silver, and jade. The treasury was empty so he decided to be more lenient and opened the shipping industry.
In the past, only shipping companies that registered with the government and had a license could conduct overseas trade. Now, as long as you pay a certain amount of silver, you can get a license. The only condition was no matter what kind of ship you have, you must pay a certain part of the treasures once you are back. As a result, the shipping business became popular and the port areas became extremely prosperous.
Ling Qingyu didn't expect it to be this prosperous. Thinking of what she has heard on the road coming here, there were severe droughts in the north while there were floods in the south. In recent years, there have been constant natural disasters, and there have been an influx of refugees in some places.
"Young miss!" Zheng Xi's call made Ling Qingyu come back to her senses and chuckle. Even if these recent weeks were is full of problems, it was just short term. The most important thing now is to accumulate her own strength and then take revenge.
Zheng Xi ran to Ling Qingyu, wiped his sweat, and said, "I asked around. Today, there is a boat going to Quanzhou. A big family originally chartered the boat but since they heard you are a girl and was traveling with just one servant, the wife of that family out of kindness, allowed us to take the boat with them."
Ling Qingyu nodded, Zheng Xi is the son of Nanny Zheng. Nanny Zheng was originally someone who came as part of her mother's dowry sent by her family. Her mother had already returned the family's deed.
The eldest son of Nanny Zheng, Zheng Dong helped his mother manage the dowry shops. Her younger son, Zheng Xi followed his father to run errands at the boat shop. Years ago, Ling Qingyu's father sent Zheng Xi back to Wuxian to deliver a letter, which averted the catastrophe.
After Ling Qingyu buried his parents together, she instructed Nanny Zheng and Lu Xiu to stay in Wu County. For now, they will continue to look after the remaining two shops. They were also tasked to take a look at the activities of the Lin and Wu families. Ling Qingyu decided to only bring Zheng Xi when she goes to Quanzhou, where most of her father's ship is.
Ling Qingyu pressed her chest and took out the banknotes that she found inside her mother's dressing box. When she counted it T that time, there were actually ten thousand taels. Ling Qingyu kept them in the pouch sown in the inner layer of the chest area of her robe.
When she came out of Wu County, Ling Qingyu did not bring most of her things with her. All she had with her were the ten thousand taels of banknotes and her mother's veil which she vomited blood into before she died.
The ship bound for Quanzhou was a medium-sized passenger ship. Ling Qingyu and Zheng Xi boarded the ship from the small springboard in the back cabin. Zheng Xi followed the sailor to the sailor's cabin while a maid wearing yellow shoulder-to-shoulder clothes took Ling Qingyu inside a small room in the back cabin room. The maid said, "Miss, please come and squeeze in with us."
"Sorry for bothering you, sister." Ling Qingyu bowed deeply and thanked with a smile. She was wearing a clean blue dress. She did not tie her hair in a bun. Instead, she put her hair in a big braid with a small white velvet flower. She was tall and although she has a plump figure, she looks clean and healthy. Even her smile looked innocent and joyful.
The maid felt that she liked this girl in her heart, and unconsciously said a few more words, saying: "My madam is the most kind-hearted. I heard from Wang Cheng's family that your servant is looking for a boat, and that you are an orphan and have opened a female household independently. She believes that living alone is very hard and wanted to help you. Otherwise, ordinary people would not be able to board our Fan family's boat."
Ling Qingyu didn't know how powerful the Fan family was, so she just smiled and said, "I would like to ask a favor that you say my utmost thanks to the Madam. If possible, I would also like to kowtow to the Madam to say my thanks."
"That's not necessary. My wife can't be seen by anyone who wants to." The maid declined respectfully.
"If that is that case, please help me convey my feelings to the Madam, sister." Ling Qingyu took the maid's hand and inserted some money in it.
The maid weighed it and estimated that there were about one or two silver ingots in her hand. She couldn't help but smile more sincerely and said: "You can have a good rest here. Our ship is fast and we will reach Quanzhou in a few days."
Ling Qingyu gave her thanks again and sent the maid out. She started to relax and carefully consider what she would do in Quanzhou.
In the main cabin of the ship, a young woman was rolling up her sleeves, holding a ceramic teapot decorated with old plum blossoms in her slender hand and pouring it into a teacup. The clear tea had a delicate fragrance, which was refreshing.
"Good tea." the young man in blue praised unconsciously. Fan Ye answered, "Ming Liang brought it here. The green tea from the Ming Dynasty is naturally good tea."
Fan Ye took a sip of the tea, glanced sideways at the person sitting opposite him who was eating and drinking. He then said, "As a member of the Fan family, you as a legitimate son of the family are really not afraid that your father will become sad seeing you idle like this every day."
As the youngest son of Fan Ze, an official minister of the dynasty, Fan Zheng had never had a good reputation. He was elected as a candidate at the age of fifteen, but instead of continuing his education, he began to travel around and had countless romantic affairs. He is the blacksheep in the Fan family.
"As long as my eldest brother is there, my father has always been lenient with me." Fan Zheng said with a smile, and then leaned closer to Fan Ye and said, "But, I still want to congratulate you, my cousin on this promotion and getting a good position."
"What good position are you talking about?" Fan Ye sighed and continued, "The establishment of a shipping department in Quanzhou this time is certainly a good thing for shipping management. I should try my best to fulfill my job. However, the original trade was all handled by the Guangzhou Shipping Department."
He then added, "The company has always been under the control of the Wang family. Nowadays, because the Holy Sage likes fragrance and luxury, the cities of Luoyang, Bianliang (now Kaifeng), Hangzhou and the province of Sichuan are all flourishing with spice treasures. The profits of the trade with each of these areas have soared and the number of maritime merchants have also increased a lot. The amount of money their transactions bring in is huge. As far as we both know, one or two of these areas, have been swallowed up by the Wang family. "
Fan Zheng played with the empty porcelain cup in his hand and asked, "Is that why we set up a shipping department in Quanzhou this time and asked the neutral Fan family to take care of the shipping department?"
He continued looking and smiling at the crystal clean porcelain teacup, obviously pleased to see it and added, "Nowadays, maritime transportation is booming, and my cousin's position is a good one."
Fan Ye glared at him and said: "I'm afraid that this position will lead me to death! Now, the royal concubine, Queen Wang is supported by the Wang family and controls the shipping industry. The Queen Song's family has Song Shoufu, and the directors have all become ministers of the Ministry of household affairs. A new market has opened in Quanzhou but both families are keeping an eye on such a big and profitable area. If I don't stay careful, I wouldn't know how I died. Did you come here to tease me?"
Fan Zheng was about to speak when he heard footsteps outside the door, so he stopped and looked at the door. "Madam," the owner of the footsteps outside the door stopped and she called softly. Mrs. Fan Yang glanced at the two of them, put down the bead curtain, and said, "It's my maidservant. Come in! "
Yam Yao lowered her head and entered the cabin. She glanced at the hanging bead curtain from the corner of her eyes, bowed, and said: "Madam, I have already brought that little lady to her assigned cabin."
"Oh!" Madam Yang glanced at Fan Zheng's figure behind the curtain and said with a smile, "How was the little lady's personality?"
"Although she is quite young, she is very polite and looked honest." The maid, Yao lowered her head and replied.
Madam Yang commented, "It's pitiful that she opened a female household by herself at such a young age." The madam waved her maid servant to leave and hung back the bead curtain. She looked at Fan Zheng and said with a meaningful smile, "It's rare for my sixth brother to have a kind heart."
Fan Zheng smiled back but didn't answer. Before he got on the boat, he saw the young lady from Wu County and her servant asking around for a boat to Quanzhou. He felt compassion for her. Knowing that Master Fan was kind-hearted, he asked him for a favor.
After Master Fan made a few remarks to his wife, Madam Yang indeed let the young lady get on the boat. However, after hearing this, the Madam might have thought that Fan he was paying a debt for a romantic relationship he had outside with lade. He chose to not say anything and just smiled.
"Sixth brother, you are not young anymore. It's time to seriously find a woman to marry." Fan Ye, Fan Zheng's cousin said with a frown.
Fan Zheng gave a smile with a hint of coldness and said, "The Wu family made some recommendations to my father from the young women from their family. One is the second young lady of the third wife. The second is the fifth young lady of the Wu family, and the other is the sister of the second prince's concubine. Cousin, do you think any of them is suitable?"
Fan Ye was dumbfounded. His uncle, the step-brother, forced Fan Zheng away without saying a word. Now, he also wanted to control Fan Zheng's marriage.
The Fan family has always been neutral in the court and never participated in the battle for the throne which kept their family's power intact for a hundred years. With this offer, the Wu family is directly asking the Fan family to get on the second prince's boat. Do they really think that all men in the Fan family were stupid? He could only shook his head unconsciously.
Fan Zheng thought for a while and then said, "The young lady's father is a maritime merchant. She is going to Quanzhou. If she needs help, cousin please help her for me."
"Ha!" Fan Ye scoffed. With a a smile he said, "She's a woman, alright. If she uses sea transportation, I can help her." Seeing that his smile was full of contempt, Fan Zheng shook his head and said nothing more.
He looked out the window and looked at the prosperous scene at the port. His thoughts turned to other things as he talked about the spring drought on Henan Road with his cousin. His thoughts about the little lady, just like the waves passing by, left his mind.