Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1087 Jingzhou City

Not long after, Su Yan, who had gone to inquire about the news, came back, followed by several rented carriages.

"Master, I've found out everything." Su Yan whispered to Shen Zheng, "The Yu family made their fortune through grain transport and has been wealthy for generations. They are now the largest grain merchant in Jingzhou and have a good reputation among the people. Last year, there was a severe flood in Changnan, and the grain prices in Jingzhou also rose significantly. It was the Yu family who stepped in to suppress the price."

"Grain merchants?" Shen Zheng frowned and asked, "Do they do business with the imperial court?"

If he was just an ordinary grain merchant, how could he have any connection with the royal family?

Su Yan's answer was somewhat unexpected to her: "From what I have learned, although the Yu family is wealthy, they have never had any connection with the imperial court and only do business with the common people."

Only doing business for the people...

This is a bit intriguing.

A man from a private grain merchant's household was worthy of the emperor's personal approval...

I'm afraid you can only know all these things after you meet them in person.

"Let's find a restaurant to eat first." Looking at the listless Fang Ziyan, Shen Zheng smiled and said, "We have to eat after all. There's no rush to find someone after dinner."

Fang Ziyan cheered and was the first to climb onto the carriage.

The largest restaurant in Jingzhou is also called "Yunxianglou".

It is said that this "Yunxianglou" is the same as the "Yunxianglou" in Shangjing, but because of their different locations, the dishes are also quite different.

At the dinner table, Fang Ziyan was eating with his mouth full of oil. Yu Shizhang put down his chopsticks after taking a few bites and sighed, "I didn't really try the food here when I came to Jingzhou City last time. Today I finally get to eat it again."

The "last time" he mentioned was the time when Shen Zheng disappeared.

These words brought back memories for everyone, and they were filled with emotion.

"Jingzhou still has a lot of delicious food." Yu Shizhang smiled and said, "After dinner, Lao Liang will go to Yu Mansion to pick up someone, and then we can go shopping?"

Liang Furu was struck by lightning: "You won't come with me?"

How could he have the nerve to come here alone...

"He only told you, but not us. It would be bad if we went. What if we were recognized?" Shen Zheng stuffed a mouthful of meat into her mouth and said, "I'll ask Su Yan to bring a few people to accompany you. Let's meet at this restaurant at dusk."

There are still two hours left until the hour of You, so there should be enough time.

Liang Fu felt uncomfortable for a while, "...Okay then."

......

In Jingzhou City, there is a river running through the city. The name of the river is also very simple, it is called Jinghe. The streets on both sides of Jinghe are called Linshui Street.

July and August are the rainy seasons, and the water of Jinghe River is not very clear. The weeping willows on the bank gently caress the surface of the river. Occasionally, a boatman paddles by in a small boat, startling the dragonflies hiding in the shade of the trees.

The riverbanks are lined with shops, creating a unique landscape in Jingzhou City. Passersby often say, "If you come to Jingzhou and don't stroll along the waterside streets, you haven't seen the real Jingzhou!"

Most of these shops are in the layout of "shop in front and house in the back", with the storefronts all facing the river and a flat bluestone road at the entrance. The road is wide enough for two carriages to run side by side.

The stone pavement is level with the shop doorsteps, so customers can step into the shop with just one step. Many shops also set up tables, chairs and small stools at the door, which serves as the shop's "outdoor seating area" for customers to rest.

Linshui Street is still bustling in the afternoon.

Snack stalls, small item stalls, and jewelry stalls were lined up along the river bank, and the shouts could be heard from far away along the stone road.

As soon as Cui Jinyin saw the jewelry stall, she couldn't walk anymore.

All the jewelry except hers was made of gold, silver and jade, with very few wooden items. But when she took a look at the stalls today, she found that quite a few wooden ornaments caught her eye.

Fang Ziyan held sour plum soup in one hand and steamed sugar cake in the other, his eyes constantly glancing at the cold soup stall.

Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang followed behind them, talking in low voices about the customs and culture of Jingzhou.

"Ice silk handkerchiefs—Ice silk handkerchiefs for sale!" As we walked, a voice called out from the shore: "Don't miss it if you're passing by. Come and take a look at this ice silk handkerchief newly made by Master Shen of Tong'an—it's cool to the touch, even cooler to use, and absorbs sweat without getting dusty!"

Yu Shizhang paused and turned to look at Shen Zheng: "You secretly knitted a handkerchief without telling us?"

Shen Zheng: “…”

It turns out that false advertising is everywhere.

"Let's go and take a look." Yu Shizhang said, "I want to see how cool this ice silk handkerchief is."

Using the name of an official appointed by the imperial court to sell goods is, to be honest, a serious crime.

Shen Zheng opened her mouth but didn't say anything in the end. She raised her leg and followed Yu Shizhang's footsteps.

The closer we got, the clearer the shouts became: "Come and see! This ice silk handkerchief is cooler than silk! Lady Shen and her maids both use this handkerchief!"

Shen Zheng paused.

How come she didn't know she had a maid?

A lot of people gathered in front of the stall. Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang stood behind them and listened to them say, "This handkerchief looks ordinary, but that fan is pretty good. What kind of fan is it?"

The vendor's crisp voice echoed, "Ice silk fan! Didn't Lord Shen make a fan in Shangjing? This is it! A fan that can blow air!"

The group of people were stunned by her coaxing and subconsciously asked: "But fans... can't they all be used to fan?"

"This is different!" the stall owner laughed. "This ice silk fan is no ordinary fan. Not only is the wind it blows stronger than an ordinary fan, it's also cooler than an ordinary fan! Sister, my words won't help. If you don't believe me, try it yourself!"

"Hey, it seems to be cooler than the fan at home! Give me one! How much is it?"

"Eighty cents, sister, I'm honest and trustworthy."

"Eighty?!" someone exclaimed, "Ordinary fans are only twenty or thirty coins. No matter how good your fan is, you can't sell it for eighty coins. I don't want it anymore..."

"It's something different, sister!" the stall owner tried to persuade her: "Look at the pattern on my fan. It depicts the scenery of Tong'an County, the real Tong'an County! Here, look at the river dam. Lord Shen loves to stand here!"

The buyer hesitated, "You...let me think about it again."

How face-saving would it be to hold an ice silk fan with Tongan scenery painted on it?

Let your friends and family take a look...

hiss--

"Tong'an scenery?" Shen Zheng finally squeezed to the front of the stall, looked at the blurry portrait on the fan and asked, "Boss, you just said where Lord Shen likes to stand?"

The stall owner was a young girl, about twenty years old, with bright eyes and a constant smile on her face.

After seeing Shen Zheng, the smile on her face paused, but she still pointed at the fan and said, "Here it is, sister."

She didn't know why, but she always felt that the other person's eyes were a little strange.

With teasing, with helplessness, in short, there is no curiosity.

Shen Zheng looked at the place where she pointed and asked again: "Have you been to Tongan County?"

But what was painted on the fan was not Tongan County at all, and it looked unfamiliar at first glance.

"No, sister." This time the stall owner was honest: "But this painting is in the Tongan Fengwuzhi. If you don't believe me, you can go and see it."

Shen Zheng felt like a country bumpkin at this moment.

"Tong'an Scenery"...where did it come from?