Entrepreneurship in the Late Tang Dynasty

Chapter 178 Looking for Death
A group of people were given a talisman and entered the city, the bustling city of Bianzhou.

Bianzhou City was also laid out in a ward-market system. Zhao Huai'an and his group passed through a series of ward gates and soon arrived at a locked archway.

I had no idea what was behind me, but I could smell a strong scent of cosmetics and hear a lot of noise.

Zhao Huai'an and the others were puzzled as to why the gate was locked in broad daylight. Then they saw a group of armored soldiers guarding the gate tower come over and salute when they saw that it was Pei Di.

Pei Di simply waved his hand, and then the warriors directed a group of people dressed in green robes to bring out three cloud ladders from behind the corner of the wall and set them up on the archway.

Then Pei Di waved his hand, deftly stepped onto the platform, and walked off in front of everyone.

Zhao Huai'an was stunned for a moment, then followed Pei Di up, followed closely by a group of warriors dressed in robes and leather armor.

Those in the know would understand that these people were going to drink and carouse, but those who didn't would think they were swarming and attacking Bianzhou City.

Yao Xingzhong was the most excited among the crowd. He looked at the ladder in front of him and tried his best to climb it.

When Zhao Huai'an climbed up the wall, he sat on it for three full breaths before he could catch his breath. Meanwhile, Zhao Liu, head down, also climbed up. He was about to tell Zhao Huai'an to keep going when he turned his head and looked at himself, then just like Zhao Huai'an, he stood there motionless.

Fatty Bean also craned his way up, and because of his large size, he poked his head out with a huff, and then he, like the other two, froze in shock.

The three of them completely blocked the road ahead, leaving Lu Zhongyuan and his group behind them extremely anxious, wondering what the three of them had been looking at.

Zhou Dexing, who hadn't yet gone up, grabbed one of the guards and asked:
Are there any more ladders?

This armored soldier also had a temper, but seeing Zhou Dexing, who was eight feet tall, and then looking at the fifty or sixty burly warriors beside him, he swallowed hard and said:

"That's all. These are the only three ladders. Don't worry, it's not time yet, you can all get in."

Zhou Dexing pushed aside the armored soldier and shouted to the people above:

"What are you all looking at? Let me see too."

By this time, Zhao Huai'an had realized what was happening. Seeing Pei Di standing below watching the show, his face flushed, and he scolded Zhao Liu and Fatty Dou:

"You're all spineless. You're just a bunch of women. Look at you."

Zhao Liu and Dou Pangzi didn't refute, because they were still standing there. It wasn't until Lu Zhongyuan and the others got impatient and started pushing the two of them that they reluctantly looked away.

Zhao Liu sighed:

"Hey, I know why these people lock the door. If people outside see it, they'll smash the door down."

Dou Pangzi stared straight ahead, nodded vigorously, and then he and Zhao Da stepped down the solid wood steps behind the door to the back of the workshop.

When they arrived at the workshop, Zhao Huai'an was about to speak with Pei Di when he saw that Pei Di was smiling without saying a word, so he turned his head and looked back.

Lu Zhongyuan and his companions were all dumbfounded, perched on the wall like weasels seeing chickens for the first time.

At this point, Zhao Huai'an could no longer save face and roared:
"Damn it, I'll count to three. If you're not down by then, you're all fired back to camp. Disgraceful bastards!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhongyuan, Dang Shousu, and the others practically slid to the ground, then surrounded Zhao Huai'an and chuckled.

There was nothing they could do. Even Zhao Huai'an, who claimed to have seen it all, was astonished when he first saw the scene inside the workshop.

On the east side of the neighborhood, the Bian River flows through it, with countless large boats moored on the distant waterway. It is unknown who dug a section of canal here, directly diverting the Bian River into the neighborhood. On both sides of the canal, countless inns are lined up.

Then came a stream of women dressed in flowing robes, with makeup on their faces and gold hairpins, flowing along both banks. Not only was the air filled with the smell of wine and cosmetics, but even the canal itself seemed to be a mixture of wine and cosmetics.

The largest selection of concubines Zhao Huai'an had ever experienced before was only twenty or thirty people, and that was already quite impactful. But now, looking around, there were hundreds, even thousands of beautiful women displaying their charms. What a treat!
After everyone else had passed through, the Xuanwu soldiers guarding the gate removed the ladder, because anyone who entered the neighborhood wouldn't leave until dawn.

Zhao Huai'an coughed and said to Pei Di:

"Uncle Thirteen, weren't we here for a banquet? Why did we end up here?"

Pei Di laughed heartily, patting Zhao Huai'an and saying:
"This is where we eat. Just follow me."

Then he led Zhao Huai'an and the others forward.

……

Clearly, Pei Di was a regular customer here. Along the way, people from various restaurants greeted him casually.

Pei Di responded perfunctorily, then explained to Zhao Huai'an beside him:
"Our tax bureau's patrol office is located in this ward. Because we have to collect wine every month, we have gathered all the wine shops in the city together. In order to sell their own wine, these wine sellers hire wine girls to attract customers. Some of these shops are run by powerful families, so they are frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles. Therefore, a large number of brothels are located in this ward to facilitate socializing at any time."

As they walked, Pei Di stopped in front of a building and said to Zhao Huai'an:

"This is the Gongsun Residence. All the dancers from here are skilled in sword dancing, and their beauty is unparalleled."

Zhao Huai'an nodded, listening to the delicate sounds of dancing coming from inside from time to time, feeling utterly restless.

Pei Di showed no intention of taking Zhao Huai'an and the others inside, and instead led them to a wooden building.

This wooden building is the tallest building in the neighborhood, standing directly on the banks of the Bian River.

Pei Di pointed to the wooden building and said to Zhao Huai'an:

"This is our Profit Building. It is the residence of our Xuanwu Military Government, so those who come here are mostly high-ranking officials and nobles from the city."

Then he pointed to the grain transport boats moored on the Bian River opposite and said:

“Those are all big-time merchants, each with immense wealth, but no matter how much money they have, they can’t come here.”

Zhao Huai'an had long understood that this was a society based on status; having money was important, but having status was even more important.

No matter how powerful those wealthy merchants were outside, once they entered the city, within the twenty-mile radius of Bianjing, the common people were still common people, and the officials were still officials.

The group of righteous men, eager to know why they were here to hear Pei Di's tale, shouted in unison:

"Uncle Thirteen is a man of extraordinary learning. Alright, let's hurry inside. There are so many of us, what if we don't get a room?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Di burst into laughter and pointed to himself:

"I, Pei Shisanlang, invited my friends to a banquet, and then I don't have a room? Me? That's a joke! Just watch how your Uncle Shisan makes waves in this neighborhood!"

……

A moment later, Pei Di, enraged and humiliated, pointed at a steward in green robes and shouted:
"What the hell? You're telling me that everyone upstairs is booked? Didn't I tell you to leave all the rooms open for me? Who dares to occupy my room, Pei Shisan's room?"

Although the Profit Building was a residence of the shogunate, the green-robed manager was hired from outside. After all, everyone was willing to pay money, but how could you let government officials do the welcoming and seeing off work?
The green-robed steward was also covered in sweat. Just by looking at the dark mass of martial artists coming in from behind, he knew that Pei Jun was going to make a big scene this time. Now that he had embarrassed him, he wondered if he would have any good consequences later.

But he had no other choice, so he whispered something in someone's ear.

Then Pei Di visibly shrunk, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to Zhao Huai'an and said:
"Uncle Zhao, I was wrong. This place has already been taken. Let's go somewhere else. The dancers there are excellent too!"

Seeing Pei Di's expression, Zhao Huai'an knew that there were people he couldn't afford to offend. He didn't want to cause trouble for his thirteenth uncle, since they might actually become relatives later.

Then he turned to the group of Baoyi generals and said:

"Let's go, let's find another place. When you're out having fun, the most important thing is to be in a good mood. What you do isn't really important; what matters is who you're with. We've met Uncle Thirteen today, so we definitely need to find a place to have some good wine. What good wine could this Guanjia Di Inn possibly have? Uncle Thirteen, take us to another good place. Let's go!"

The group of guards praised him. Having followed Zhao Huai'an for so long, they had learned the most about human relationships and social etiquette. At this moment, they gave Pei Di plenty of face and did not linger, so they went outside.

Pei Di was also upset, but he couldn't afford to offend the people above him, so he apologized to Zhao Huai'an again:
"Uncle Thirteen didn't treat us well this time. Next time, let's come back here and drink until we're completely drunk."

Zhao Huai'an didn't really care about drinking; he actually wanted to get information about the Xuanwu Army from Pei Di, so he didn't care at all. He said to him:
“Hey, Uncle Thirteen, you don’t know how to play this game. This kind of thing is only fun in private places. In government-run establishments, everyone is so rigid and boring. Let’s go to private places. We brothers are roughnecks, we like that kind of thing.”

Pei Di laughed heartily and patted his chest, reiterating his assurance:

"Relax, everyone in Bianzhou respects my reputation. Watch me do my thing."

Then he smiled and led Zhao Huai'an and the others out.

The green-robed steward, having witnessed little of the commotion, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard a servant boy come running down the stairs, whispering:

"Manager, Supervisor Yang wants you to come upstairs."

Upon hearing this, the steward's heart leaped into his throat, fearing that he had offended this imperial official through some oversight. He could only rush forward anxiously, unsure of what might happen next.

……

This time, Pei Shisanlang's influence finally paid off. Not far from the Profit Building, beneath a magnificent glazed tower with ornate beams and painted rafters, no less imposing than the Profit Building, Zhao Huai'an finally enjoyed the treatment of a superior being.

When Pei Shisanlang arrived, he only spoke briefly to the green-robed manager, who then went down to apologize to each person and invited them to have dinner next door.

Most of those who came to eat inside were merchants who had moored on the Bian River outside. At this time, the canal transport had ended, and how many of those who were still running boats on the day before New Year's Eve had connections?

So when they saw the group of warriors pouring into the building, especially the one in the lead who was so imposing, they knew that an important person was coming to book the place.

Business people believe in making money through harmony, so if they can tell at a glance that someone is a VIP, what else is there to say? They just prepare to pack up and leave.

But Zhao Huai'an stopped these people and asked the green-robed manager:

"Is there enough room upstairs for us brothers to have a feast?"

The green-robed steward smiled, but spoke with great arrogance:

“Lord Zhao, although our building is not as famous as the Profit Building, it is still one of the top buildings in Bianzhou City. The hall upstairs alone can accommodate two hundred people for singing, dancing and banquets.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an knew that this building was powerful and that its owner was ambitious, daring to compete with the shogunate's inns.

Then he laughed and said:
"Isn't that perfect? ​​Let's keep this floor for these ship owners. It's freezing outside, and they've finally found a place to have a hot drink and warm themselves up. It would be too inconsiderate to ask them to leave now."

As he spoke, Zhao Huai'an clasped his hands in a fist salute, waved to the assembled ship owners, and called out:
"Gentlemen, I am Zhao Huai'an, the Prefect of Guang Prefecture. Today, I am here with a group of brothers to have a drink and to experience the elegance of Bianzhou. I have no intention of disturbing you. Please eat and drink as you please. This building is large enough to accommodate you and me."

After saying this, Zhao Huai'an turned to the green-robed steward and said:
"Serve each of these people a jar of hot wine; that will be your way of apologizing for what you just did."

Then he shouted:
"Everyone, keep eating. I'll give you another jar of wine, all on my plate, Zhao Da!"

Among these people were some merchants from Yangzhou, who, upon hearing this, began to shout out their wares:

"You truly are the benevolent and righteous Prefect of Huainan! Brilliant!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an was surprised to find fellow villagers here. He laughed heartily, greeted them in his hometown dialect, and then addressed everyone present in refined language:
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, it's fate that we met here today! Everyone had a great time drinking!"

After saying that, Zhao Huai'an stopped disturbing them and led the group of Baoyi generals into the main hall on the second floor.

Upon entering, one is struck by the sheer size of the place, with wooden floors capable of accommodating a hundred people. Behind these are colorful curtains, beneath which lie numerous small rooms. Stove-fired stoves illuminate the various corners of the hall, keeping the rooms warm and inviting.

This is clearly the result of keeping the stove burning continuously. The fact that they're willing to waste so much charcoal even when no one comes shows that they are indeed quite capable.

Over there, Pei Di began to arrange everyone's seating according to the banquet rules. At first, he was quite particular about the seating arrangements, but since he didn't know the remaining Bao Yi Jiang, he didn't know how to arrange them.

Zhao Liu, however, smiled and defused the situation:

"Uncle Thirteen, you're too kind. We brothers can sit anywhere, as long as there's good wine. Of course, the dancing has to be good too!"

Pei Di laughed heartily, then clapped his hands and signaled the managers to begin the process.

Soon, a group of female musicians carrying pipa and drums came down from upstairs, lined up behind the general, and sat in the small room at the back to begin playing music.

The music was gentle and peaceful, creating a magnificent scene of a prosperous and peaceful era.

The generals, in accordance with their military ranks, took their seats and dared not sit as casually as Zhao Liu had suggested.

At this moment, Zhao Huai'an and Pei Di sat on the left and right sides respectively. Pei Di was the host, but he still reserved the most honored left seat for Zhao Huai'an.

Zhao Huai'an was not modest and helped the Thirteenth Prince to sit on the soft couch.

Without Pei Di needing to say anything more, the manager of the building began preparing the banquet according to the highest standards.

……

Amidst the melodious and soothing music, after several rounds of drinks and five courses of food, the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.

Zhao Liu, Dou Pangzi, and the others couldn't hold their pee any longer after eating, so they went downstairs to relieve themselves before enjoying a good song and dance performance later.

They heard that not only were the Hu women here exceptionally skilled in singing and dancing, but there was also a Zhao woman from Hebei whose dancing skills were even more outstanding.

Nobody wants to miss out on something exciting because of a pee.

After Zhao Liu and the others went downstairs, Zhao Huai'an saw Pei Di clapping happily and asked:

"Uncle Thirteen, who was that at the Profit Building just now? Could it be your military governor?"

Pei Di relaxed now, and since everyone present was his nephew-in-law's family, he spoke more freely:

"Hey, our Commander Wang is quite the refined man, he loves taking concubines, but he's also henpecked, so he doesn't come to places like this. Those upstairs just now, you can't afford to offend them, because the Yicheng Army is entertaining Supervisor Yang there. They're much more powerful than our Commander Wang, so don't cause them any trouble!"

Zhao Huai'an's heart skipped a beat, and he asked:

"Oh? Who is this Military Supervisor Yang?"

Pei Di also wanted to clarify this matter. He had just observed Zhao Huai'an's behavior and knew that what his cousin had said in the letter was absolutely true.

Zhao Da is a loyal and righteous man, a rare and excellent son-in-law, but he has one flaw: he's quite impulsive. I'll ask him to help look after things later.

Knowing this, Pei Di explained the background of this Supervisor Yang more clearly, because if Zhao Damang were to fall for this man, it would be all over.

"Zhao Da, this Supervisor Yang is called Yang Fuguang. He is no ordinary man. His family is one of the most powerful families in the Northern Army. They have long held the position of Lieutenant-in-Chief. Back then, when our ancestor and Cheng Yuanzhen welcomed Emperor Daizong to the throne, his family rose to prominence. From then on, their descendants were either Lieutenant-in-Chief or Privy Councilors, making them influential in the court."

"Yang Jianjun's elder brother, Yang Fugong, who is the most powerful man of their generation, was feared by Tian Lingzi in the court and was demoted from the position of Privy Councilor to Lantian. Now, the power of the Yang family is unknown! However, in Xuanwu, it does not affect the position of our military supervisor at all."

"To put it bluntly, these arrogant military men of our Xuanwu Army may not take Wang Jiedu seriously, but they dare not show any arrogance towards this military supervisor. You can see his power and prestige."

After hearing these words, Zhao Huai'an realized that Xuanwu Army also had such a large Buddha statue.

He had never heard of Yang Fuguang, but he had heard of Yang Fugong. Last year, when he was in Xichuan, his father-in-law had told him about the situation in the court, and he knew that this man was vying with Tian Lingzi for the position of the top eunuch.

Although this person lost the struggle later, he was still the second oldest brother! How could his younger brother's power be any less?
Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an asked another question. He had just heard Pei Di mention something about the arrogance of the Xuanwu Army, so he asked:

"Thirteenth Uncle, do you know where this claim of the Xuanwu Army being arrogant comes from?"

Pei Di clearly disliked those people from the Xuanwu Army, and said with a frown:

"Hey, what's there to talk about with these people? They're just a bunch of parasites sucking blood. They're already useless. Zhao Da, you're a skilled warrior, but have you ever seen an army that demands money before giving any order? Can such an army fight?"

As he spoke, Pei Di chuckled and told an amusing story:

“The Xuanwu Army soldiers, from top to bottom, only know how to make money. Back then, Liu Xuanzuo, the military governor of Xuanwu Army who participated in the suppression of the bandits in Huaixi, wanted to make money. He lied that the Buddha at Xiangguo Temple was sweating, and then he took gold and silk to give alms. Then, the Xuanwu Army, along with a group of merchants and common people, were afraid that they would not be able to deliver enough goods and incur the Buddha's wrath, so they gave alms with all their money. In just ten days, Liu Xuanzuo amassed a fortune of tens of thousands of coins.”

“Outsiders don’t know, but we in the Ministry of Revenue know it all. Liu Xuanzuo returned all the money to the wealthy families in the city, and the donations from merchants and common people were split 50/50 with the generals of Xuanwu Army. Tsk tsk, this is the tradition of my Bianfan.”

Zhao Huai'an also let out a deep "oh," thinking to himself, "City people really know how to have fun."

Thinking of this, Zhao Huai'an was about to ask another question when Pei Di stopped him, saying with a smile:
"Hey, what's so interesting about those filthy things? Come on, eat some food and try the delicacies of Bianzhou. Let me tell you, the best food in the world isn't in the palace, but in all the places where ships from all over the world gather. Bear paws, sea fish, you name it, we have it all! Come on, let's eat and chat."

Zhao Huai'an was also hungry, but just as he picked up his chopsticks to grab a small dish that looked like fish skin, he heard a commotion outside. The green-robed steward rushed upstairs, shouting at Zhao Huai'an:
"Prefect Zhao, something terrible has happened! Your men and the Yicheng Army are fighting!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huai'an immediately cursed:

"court death!"

Then, with a bang, he slammed his chopsticks on the table, stood up, and said to Pei Di:

"Uncle Thirteen, you stay here and have a drink, I'll be right back."

Pei Di was also drunk and even nodded, but before he could react, he had already lost his grip on Zhao Huai'an.

Then he saw Zhao Huai'an leading a large group of drunken soldiers and warriors downstairs. In addition to everyone carrying a knife, he even saw several eight-foot-tall soldiers grabbing the tables and chairs upstairs.

This completely sobered Pei Di up.

He yelled, "Oh no!" and grabbed a stool, then ran downstairs.

Zhao Da, wait for me!
　The next post will be a little later today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)