The First Volume of Qinghe County

  If it weren't for the limited quota every day, I'm afraid this batch of Jingyang Spring would have been sold out in the first hour. Even so, within two days, the first batch was already sold out.

  A small bottle of Jingyang Spring costs one hundred coins. If you're frugal, one hundred coins can almost get you two meals at a restaurant. Of course, places like the Baifeng Tower that sell gold like dirt aren't included.

  A jar of wine weighs about twenty kilograms and costs ten taels. This price has already made ordinary merchants speechless, but driven by profit, they don't need to consider it at all. They buy jar after jar, and as long as they transport them to other places for sale, the price will be at least two or three times higher.

  In Yanggu County, wine merchants saw that there was a limit of ten jars per person, so they directly purchased from the queuing merchants at 12 taels per jar, allowing many merchants to earn 20 taels by reselling.

  There's an income of 20 yuan just by lining up, where can you find such a good thing? The people of Qinghe County simply started lining up as well, anyway no one verifies whether you're a merchant or not.

  As a result, the store next to Ximen Wine Shop, which was also called Jiubao, stopped doing business and only put up a sign that read: "High price purchase of Jingyangchun".

  So whether Ximen Wine House is open or closed, there are always a group of people queuing at the door, waiting for delivery.

  Ximen Qing has been busy running between the wine shop and the winery these days, but seeing the silver coins flowing in like a river, he is tired but happy.

  "In these three days, a total of 230 jars were sold." Jianzi Jiang calculated while inhaling cold air: "The profit is more than 2,000 yuan."

  "It's not us who are making a big profit, but that wine merchant from Yanggu County." Ximen Qing chuckled and said: "That guy just sells it once and makes two or three times the profit. These past few days he's been frantically buying up wine, I reckon he's already found a buyer, and after passing it on, he'll have made several thousand taels of silver."

  "But it's also good to make a fortune together." Ximen Qing thought for a moment: "Mr. Jiang will help me keep an eye on things, and after a few days, I should consider going to Tokyo to buy wine."

  "What!" Jiang Jing almost threw his brush at Ximen Qing's face. This guy, who makes a fortune every day, doesn't open his wine shop, what is he doing in the capital?

  Ximen Qing is still the county lieutenant of Qinghe County, how can he leave?

  Seeing Jiang Jing's puzzled look, Xi Menqing also didn't bother to explain: "Mr. Jiang, let's go! We've been working hard for the past few days, let's relax at the Baifang Tower!"

  How could he tell Jiang Jing, who was calculating his abacus, about the Jingkang Incident a few years later?

  Staying in Qinghe County is a place where you can make a fortune, but when the Jin army arrives, tens of millions of wealth will be like a bubble. You should take action early!

  As for being a county lieutenant, Ximen Qing is already too lazy to take on the role, it's just too unchallenging.

  "Alright." Jiang Jing threw down his brush and began to tidy up, preparing to head out.

  Ximen Qing suddenly discovered that he hadn't seen An Daquan for several days, and only after asking Jiang Jing did he learn that the scoundrel had hardly ever left Baifang Lou.

  "It's still a divine doctor, anyway, take care of your body. " Ximen Qing despised in his heart: "Take the opportunity to see that guy, don't be squeezed dry."

  Before they could move, a figure rushed in from the doorway and knelt down in front of Ximen Qing: "Brother, I have something to ask of you!"

  It's really "speak of the devil", this person is indeed An Daoquan, at this time he doesn't have the demeanor of a divine doctor at all, his headscarf is tilted to one side, and his face has an expression that can't be described as either anxious or ashamed.

  "Where did brother come from and how did he become so wretched?" Ximen Qing saw An Daquan's appearance, also secretly shocked, could it be that he was beaten by someone at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion?

  "Alas, it's hard to say!" An Daoquan took a deep breath: "Brother, don't ask for now, can you lend me 500 taels to save my life?"

  "What!" Even Jiang Jing beside him felt that An Daquan was not in the Hundred Flowers Building for a long time, and his brain had some problems: "An Shengyi, what do you mean by this?"

  "Brother, five hundred taels is no problem, but you must tell me what's so urgent?" Ximen Qing also asked.

  An Daoquan was silent for half a day before he stomped his foot: "This is the ransom money for Chrysanthemum Girl!"

  An Daoquan has taken a liking to this chrysanthemum girl, hasn't he? Is it because she's gentle or is it because of her good life?

  Ximen Qing was puzzled: "Brother, she's just a woman from the Eastern Barbarians, why did you take a liking to her? Are women of our Great Song Dynasty not good enough?"

  "This... you don't understand." An Daoquan sighed, "This kind of physical entwinement and spiritual connection between two people, like two intertwined vines that can't be separated once they've touched."

  Ximen Qing was thoroughly speechless, no wonder An Daquan had run back from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion with such haste, it turned out that he really did have a crush on Chrysanthemum Girl. Although Ximen Qing's original intention was to let An Daquan indulge in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for a while, so as to control him better, but he hadn't expected An Daquan to progress at such a rapid pace.

  "Ah, a woman from the Eastern Country." Jiang Jing, an old hand at calculations, seemed to recall something and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Women from the Eastern Country are known for their gentle nature. Younger brother may not know that in the eyes of the Eastern Country, we people of the Great Song Dynasty are all considered Chinese."

  "Hua Zu?" Ximen Qing was perplexed: "The Chinese nation, also known as Hua Zu? No, the term 'Chinese nation' shouldn't have been invented yet."

  Although his knowledge of history was pitiful, Ximen Qing, this time-traveler, still knew that the term "Chinese nation" or the concept of it, was first proposed by Mr. Liang Qichao in the early 19th century, generally understood as a general term for all ethnic groups living on Chinese territory and overseas Chinese. And the Huazu mentioned by Jiang Zhan at this time obviously did not refer to the Chinese nation.

  "The Huaxia people are of noble birth." Jiang Jing smiled mysteriously: "The Eastern Barbarians are short in stature, so since the Tang Dynasty, merchants have been secretly smuggling Eastern Barbarian women to find Huaxia men to breed with and improve their height."

  Next, Jiang Jing began to talk endlessly about the things he had heard regarding borrowing a womb.

  "What!" Ximen Qing suddenly felt that his three views were distorted. Japanese women during the Tang and Song dynasties would secretly run to China, then try every means to have a relationship with "Chinese people", until they got pregnant before being sent back to Japan.

  So, before getting pregnant, Japanese women need to spend the night with multiple "husbands", which can ensure the chances of getting pregnant.

  This is just a prostitute who doesn't charge money!

  What's even more bizarre, according to Jiang Jing, the King of Dongying not only tolerated this behavior but also secretly promoted it, stipulating that every merchant ship must carry a certain number of young women before setting sail.

  "But this is usually the case in Quanzhou's port." Jiang Jing said a lot, suddenly remembering: "Chrysanthemum girl should be arranged to borrow seeds from the Chinese. However, appearing at Bahe Building in Qinghe County is still suspicious."

  It's true, a poor eastern girl who came to borrow seeds, appearing in the expensive Hundred Flowers Pavilion is not enough, she even became Xue Ma's cash cow, one of the twelve top courtesans, with a ransom of 500 taels, really a lion's mouth wide open.

  It's still a suspicious deal, so you can just charge an exorbitant price and then return the money on the spot.

  "This matter is handled by Brother." Ximen Qing thought for a moment about several chrysanthemum girls, no, possibly Chrysanthemum Girl, appearing in Qinghe County.

  "Brother, wait here for a moment, I'll go to the Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers and bring out Chrysanthemum Girl for you."

  "Brother! You're really a timely help to your brother!" Dr. An was almost in tears, Ximen Qing was indeed a man of his word! His generosity and righteousness were as boundless as the sky!

  Ximen Qing also came up with a melodramatic line: "You and I are brothers, one sight is like the past, money is an external thing, why bother to worry about it!"

  Ximen Qing then arranged for Jiang Jing to accompany An the divine physician, while he himself went to find Niu Dali and accompanied him on a trip to Baifang Lou.

  Ximen Qing left, and An Daquan went to ask Jiang Jing for the four treasures of the study. He walked to the desk and wrote in big characters.

  My brother is really something, as his older brother I also can't be too outrageous!

  Jiang Jing inadvertently glanced at it twice and found that it was the prescription for the medicinal wine that Andaoquan had always treated as his life!

  Ximen's younger brother, you've made a fortune this time!

  With today's Jingyang Spring water added with precious medicinal materials, a nourishing secret wine is brewed, and its price has skyrocketed!

  Jiang Jing suddenly understood why Ximen Qing wanted to leave Qinghe County and go to Kaifeng Prefecture in Dongjing to do business. This kind of rare commodity, of course, had to be taken to a place like Kaifeng Prefecture where the rich were as numerous as clouds, in order to sell it at a high price. If he still acted as the original supplier, that would be really foolish.

  "County Master, aren't you making things difficult for me?" Xue Ma's face was full of worry and her hands were clenched into fists with the silk handkerchief: "This chrysanthemum is my heart's treasure, I've been cultivating it since childhood, County Master, please tell me how much money this is worth."

  "This is still considering that Dr. An Shen is your sworn brother, it's a friendly price, can't be lower than this."

  "It's said that several old customers wanted to buy out Chrysanthemum Girl, with some offering as much as 600 yuan."

  "It's just that I have to consider the face of County Master, otherwise, I really can't bear to part with this daughter."

  Ximen Qing's attention was completely focused on the cup of tea in his hand, no matter how much Aunt Xue tried to persuade him, he still blew the floating tea leaves with a carefree air, while behind him, the cow-headed knife stood upright, its eyes fixed fiercely on Aunt Xue, making her feel uneasy all over, and the endless stream of excuses for not eating meat suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

  "Xue Ma, the official is listening, please continue." Ximen Qing glanced at Xue Ma who was stuck for words and drew out his voice to say this sentence, then lowered his head to continue drinking tea.

  The chill in his words made Xue Ma shiver, this Xi Menqing was indeed not easy to deal with, no wonder he could turn the tables and bring disaster to the Wu family within two or three days.

  "Sir, this is a legitimate business. If we can't agree on the price, then forget it." Xue Ma gritted her teeth secretly.

  "Xue Ma, are you finished?" Ximen Qing put down his teacup and asked slowly: "Is there nothing else you want to say?"