The next day, Mu Weizhou was woken up at dawn. Ban Chao was already standing in front of the bed. He waved his hand and told Mu Weizhou to get up quickly so that he could go to the Luo River to take a bath. According to legend, the Goddess Luo would bless the Luo River during the Dragon Boat Festival every year. If people used the water of the Luo River to wash their faces or bathe today, they could get rid of illnesses and strengthen their bodies, ensuring a year of peace.
Mu Weizhou looked at Ban Chao's honest expression and felt like he had returned to his childhood. At that time, every Dragon Boat Festival, his parents would always pull him out of bed early, saying that they would go to the river to bathe and pick mugworts. However, the Luo River would be replaced by the East River, and the Luo God would be replaced by the River God. Thinking of his parents, Mu Weizhou felt a little sad.
He had been here for half a year, but Mu Wei had not heard from them at all. In the past, his parents would call him every now and then, making him feel like a marionette. However, after being isolated for half a year, he actually missed those calls and warnings. It was an indescribable feeling. At this moment, he really hoped that his father was thinking of a way to make him want to sleep so that they could go to the river together. Thinking of this, Mu Weizhou couldn't help but laugh, mocking himself for thinking of such unrealistic things. At this moment, there was no way to return. Even if he did, the river in his memories would have been polluted beyond recognition even if it hadn't dried up. Moreover, in his impression, he had not celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival with his parents for many years.
Mu Weizhou stretched his back, got up, and put on his clothes. When he arrived at the Sunset Smoke Hall, he found Liu Qingping already waiting there. What was different from usual was that Liu Qingping had an orange sachet on her chest and a colorful ribbon tied around her arm. Seeing Mu Weizhou and Ban Chao come in, she picked up the two ribbons on the table and asked them to tie them up as well.
At that time, people celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival with some fixed rituals and customs. It was common among the people to go on an outing and pick some calamus or mugworts to take home and hang them on the door. Every family ate zongzi and drank realgar wine. The adults would also dip the realgar wine in it and draw the word " Wang " on each child's forehead, which was called " Traveling All Sickness." People would usually wear sachets made of spices or Chinese medicine to prevent diseases or plagues, and tie a colorful ribbon on their arms to avoid military service or ghosts. Some places even held dragon boat races and so on. All in all, these customs were an eye-opener for Mu Weizhou.
The few of them came out of the Sunset Smoke Hall. At this time, the streets were already filled with people. Mu Weizhou and the others followed the flow of people and gradually formed a large group, heading towards the south of the city. The Luo River flowed through the south of Luoyang City. Today was the busiest day of the year. The officials, nobles, and commoners in Luoyang were all gathered on both sides of the Luo River. They each chose a spot to bathe. There were also a few energetic young men who threw themselves into the Luo River, attracting the attention of many people. Most of the people had five-colored silk threads tied to their arms. Some had sachets hanging on their chests or waists. There were even a few children who were waving mugworts in one hand and holding half-eaten dumplings in the other. They chased back and forth. In the morning light, it was peaceful. Mu Weizhou looked at this scene and felt as if he had returned to his childhood.
The three of them walked around for a long time before they finally arrived at South City. There were three markets in Luoyang-Jin, Dong, and Nan. The East Market was outside Dongyang Gate, mainly trading cattle, horses and grain. The gold market was within the Imperial City. Mu Weizhou had never been there, but he heard that most of the people who traded there were Hu. Southern City was where Luoyang people traded daily, including many vendors from all over the country. There were a lot of people in Southern City today. Mu Weizhou and the others finally found a place to sit in a teahouse called " Purple Qi from the East ". This teahouse was situated right in front of the central square of the Southern City. Mu Weizhou and the others sat in the attic, enjoying a panoramic view of the entire Southern City. The three of them brewed a pot of tea and ordered some simple food for breakfast as they waited for the Wei family's class to arrive.
As soon as Mu Weizhou sat down, he noticed that the building at the corner opposite the teahouse was very strange. A large copper coin was fixed on the roof of the two-story attic. This copper coin was the size of a house. Under the sunlight, it emitted a golden light. Mu Weizhou found it strange and pointed out the building to Liu Qingping.
"Eh? Could it be that the Money Gang had set up a stall in the Southern City?”Liu Qingping looked at the building and muttered to herself.
"Peace, money, tide, water, Confucianism, Mohism, White Horse, Shennong, etc. Could this be the legendary Money Gang?”After hearing Liu Qingping's words and thinking about the shape of the building, he thought that he should have guessed it earlier. However, the Money Gang was famous, so Mu Weizhou could not help but ask.
When Ban Chao heard their questions, he nodded and said,""Yes, this stall in South City was only set up at the beginning of the year. Now, most of the merchants in the entire South City also borrowed money from the Money Gang to do business.”
"What about the main branch of the Jin City?" Liu Qingping tilted her head and asked.
"The one over there is still there. It was said that they were working with the Prince of Huaiyang. On the day of the opening, it was an unprecedented event that shook the entire Luoyang City. The Prince of Huaiyang's son, Liu Fang, the Great Minister Xing Mu, and the Prince Consort, Han Guang, were all present. It was said that this stall was now managed by Prince Consort Han.”Ban Chao replied.
The King of Huaiyang that Ban Chao was talking about was the fourth son of Guo Shentong, who was deposed by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. He was the half-brother of the current emperor. Liu Fang was his eldest son. Han Guang was the husband of Liu Xiu and Guo Shentong's third daughter, Liu Hongfu. From an ethical point of view, Liu Fang had to call Han Guang uncle.
Liu Qingping listened to Ban Chao's words and briefly explained the relationship to Mu Weizhou. Mu Weizhou was stunned when he heard that. He looked at the golden copper coin and thought that the Money Gang was really capable. They could actually make a relative of the royal family be their manager. Even in two thousand years, there would probably be no one else. He could not help but admire the leader of the Money Gang.
It was already late in the morning, and the daily shops were already open for business. The shouts of people buying and selling rose and fell, and the entire Southern City was a lively scene. Not long after, they saw an ugly man riding a horse from the south. Behind the man was a special carriage with two men and four women. It was the Wei family's class.
When Liu Qingping saw that Wei Luan and the others had arrived, she immediately paid for the tea and happily went downstairs to meet the Wei Family's class. Everyone was very happy to meet again. Mu Weizhou introduced Ban Chao to the Wei siblings. Stone and the others had already unloaded their equipment and entered the arena. When he heard that Wei Luan and the others would be performing all the programs today, Mu Weizhou quickly pulled Liu Qingping and Ban Chao to find a good seat, and kept telling Ban Chao that it was a feast for the eyes.
The Wei Family's class 'skills did not disappoint. They sang and danced, performed martial arts, and performed acrobatics. Every performance won the applause of the audience. Especially when Mr. Tan and Mrs. Tan performed the ventriloquism of " Horses Startling in the City ", many spectators could not help but look left and right, afraid that there were really mules and horses around who were frightened and hurt themselves. Mu Weizhou and the other two were also puzzled. How could two people with two mouths be able to scare the horses and make them run amok in the downtown area so vividly? Towards the end of the performance, some of the more suspicious and timid ones in the audience had already left the crowd. They found a high spot and continued to watch.
After the ventriloquism performance ended, the audience applauded. Shouts kept coming, asking the two of them to have another one. Stone was grinning from ear to ear as he collected the money. After Tan Gong and Tan Po's performance, Wei Luan's sister-in-law took the stage as a cushion. The Wei family's class began to perform the acrobatics that Mu Weizhou had seen in Guangling. The difference this time was that Wei Shang was wearing the target and kicking the bowl on the pole. On the other side, Wei Luan was wearing a silk dress and had transformed into a fairy, shaking the diabolo. Just as Mu Weizhou was stretching his neck to admire the scene, he felt someone pointing at him from the side. Liu Qingping pouted at Ban Chao. It turned out that Ban Chao was already dumbfounded. He couldn't tell if he was conquered by the Wei Family's Ban's skills or if he was bewitched by Wei Luan's immortal disguise. Mu Weizhou and Liu Qingping couldn't help but snicker. It was only when the performance ended and Wei Luan and the others thanked the audience that Ban Chao woke up from a dream and shouted. Ban Chao's excitement was similar to an ignorant girl attending her idol's meet-and-greet.
It was just noon, and the Wei Family Class 'performance in the morning had also ended. Wei Feng told the audience that they would continue to perform here later in the afternoon. Wei Luan and the others began to pack their things, while Shi Tou and Wei Shang counted the money happily. Mu Weizhou and the other two had intended to help clean up the place, but it seemed like they couldn't do anything, so they could only stand at the side. On Monday, Mu Wei was mischievous and went to Stone's side, saying that he was very poor recently. Stone had earned so much money today, so maybe he could lend him some money. When Stone heard this, he hugged the money box to his chest and just smiled foolishly.
At this moment, everyone had already gathered around and were discussing where to eat. "May I ask who is the leader of this family?" someone asked loudly behind him.”
When everyone heard the question, they turned around and saw a young man wearing a light blue turban and a light blue robe standing in front of them. The young man lowered his eyebrows and eyes without any pretense. He did not look like a child from an ordinary family. When Wei Feng saw this, for some reason, she walked up to the youth in two steps and cupped her fists.""I am Wei Feng, the head of the Wei family class. What advice does little brother have?”
"You're too polite, Ban Zhu." The youth cupped his hands and returned the greeting. I'm Dou Gui. Greetings. My sister and I had the honor of watching your performance just now and were deeply shocked. My sister asked me to give this string of money to the class master to show my support.”As he spoke, he took out a string of money and handed it to Wei Feng.
Wei Feng finally understood that the youth in front of her was an enthusiastic audience member. Wei Feng took the string of money and hurriedly bowed to thank him. For people like them who relied on their skills to make a living, being able to win the recognition of others with their own skills was the greatest success.
The young man praised the Wei Family's class 'performance a few more times, but he didn't say anything more. He turned around and walked back. Mu Weizhou and the others followed his figure and saw three men and a woman standing not far away. The few of them were not old. The one leading them was only in her twenties. Everyone was wearing a long robe and holding a sword. The woman was wearing a veil on her face. The Wei Family's class followed Wei Feng and bowed to the few people in the air. The other side also politely bowed back when they saw this, then turned around and walked across the square.
After such a small episode, everyone gathered together again and continued to discuss where to eat. Liu Qingping wanted to be the host, and Wei Feng also wanted to be the host because business was good today. Just as everyone was arguing, they heard someone shout,"Han Chao! How can you bully me like this?"
Mu Weizhou and the others looked in the direction of the voice and saw two groups of people confronting each other on the street in front of the Money Gang's stall. One of them was Dou Gui's group who had just given Wei Feng the money. The other group had four or five people. Although their clothes were poor, they all wore the same pattern of copper coins. It seemed that they were probably from the Money Gang.
"Oh my, I realized that you Dou family members are all so stubborn. Didn't I tell you that the house you gave us last month has expired? We've already dealt with it to death. Why are you still redeeming it?”The person who spoke was a tall and thin boy. He looked like a small leader of the Money Gang.
"Han Chao, is this how your Money Gang does business? We agreed to be a pawn for a month, and today just happens to be the day. How did it become a dead pawn? Let everyone judge. If everyone thinks that I, Dou Xian, am pestering you, I, Dou Xian, will turn around and leave. I will not pester you!”The one who spoke was the young man who was the leader of the group of people who had given Wei Feng the money.
"Hmph hmph, Dou Xian, you're really arrogant, aren't you?! Our Money Gang has never cheated anyone in our business. It was true that it was due in a month, but it was not due today, but yesterday. In other words, you came to redeem it today, and you just happened to die. Do you understand? Die!" Han Chao said disdainfully, his eyes slanted.
Dou Xian waved the pawn ticket in his hand and shouted angrily,""No pawnshop has such a rule. What kind of rule is this? You clearly have your eyes on our house…Are you clearly snatching it by force? I…I want to report you to the yamen!!”
"Dou Xian, let me tell you clearly. My uncle has indeed taken a fancy to the mansion. We don't dare to take it by force. We are willing to buy and sell. If you want to sue the authorities, go ahead. I won't accompany you anymore. Do I need to tell you where the yamen is?”After saying that, he chuckled and turned to walk towards the stall. His mouth was still full of coldness as he said," Hmph, your Dou family is really interesting. It seems like you haven't had enough lawsuits.”
"Han Chao, you bastard, what the f * ck did you say? I'll fight it out with you!" A young man dressed in white rushed out from Dou Xian's side and grabbed Han Chao's clothes.
Seeing that the two of them were about to fight, Dou Xian and the veiled woman stepped forward and pulled the white-clothed person back. One shouted,"Third Brother, stop!" One shouted,"Dou Jing, don't mess around!" The Money Gang's stall suddenly became lively.
Because the few young men had specially given the Wei family's class a reward, Mu Weizhou had a good impression of them. Seeing that the two gangs were about to fight, he looked at Ban Chao and prepared to go over and stop the fight. Just as he approached, he was pulled back by Liu Qingping. Liu Qingping reminded them that they didn't know what was right or wrong. It was better to see what was going on first, then it wouldn't be too late to stop the fight. Mu Weizhou thought about it and agreed. He stopped in his tracks and watched from the side.
After Dou Xian pulled Dou Jing back, he cupped his hands towards the crowd and said,"Everyone, you came at the right time. I am Dou Xian, and I was just about to ask you to help me judge. I urgently needed money, so I signed a contract with the Money Gang on the night of the fifth day of last month. I once took a house under my name as part of the Money Gang, and I received all the loans on the sixth day of last month. Today, I came to redeem it, but I was told that it had expired and became a dead pawn. No matter how I negotiate, they won't give me the ransom. Fellow villagers, how can there be such a logic in the world?”
The onlookers discussed animatedly when they heard this. Some of those who had borrowed money from the Money Gang said that the Money Gang was unreasonable and supported Dou Xian with their words. Some who knew the details of the stall in front of them said that since Dou Xian had signed a contract with someone, he had to respect the contract. There were also two brothers dressed in Jianghu clothes whispering beside Mu Weizhou, saying that there was going to be a good show. The money gang's stall had shares of the son-in-law, Han Guang, and the Dou family and the Han family could be considered enemies.
It turned out that the five people in front of him were the great-grandchildren of Dou Rong from 'Dou Rong Returning to Han'. Ten years ago, their grandfather, Dou Mu, had been accused of making the Marquis of Lu 'an marry his daughter. The emperor was furious and dismissed Dou Mu from office and sent him back to his hometown. Not long after, Dou Mu and his two sons, Dou Xuan and Dou Xun, were inexplicably imprisoned again and finally died in prison. Dou Xun was the biological father of Dou Xian and the others, and the person in charge of this case was Han Guang's younger brother, Han Yu, the father of the young man called Han Chao. Although Dou Mu was guilty, he did not deserve to die, let alone Dou Xun, who had nothing to do with this matter. Therefore, the death of Dou Mu and his two sons was more of a political struggle. Dou Xian and the other three actually had a feud with the Han family for killing their father. When Han Chao said that the Dou family had not fought enough lawsuits, he was referring to this history.
Mu Weizhou listened from the side and was surprised. Who would have thought that there were so many stories hidden behind a seemingly ordinary dispute? The right and wrong here might not be as simple as it seemed.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]